Shaman King: Stars of Tomorrow
by ShizukaRakugaki44
Summary: An OC named Shizu Rakugaki, who is a distant cousin of Yoh Asakura, participates in the Shaman King Tournament of the year 2000. With her Shikigami familiar Hoshi, Shizu meets both friends and rivals on the battlefield as various shamans vie for control of the Great Spirit.
1. 1st Star: The Mysterious Comet

**So I've decided to take up a challenge that was sent to me by Warsameking involving a self-insert or OC who participates in the Shaman King Tournament in the year 2000. My answer to them is a self-insert who is distantly related to Yoh Asakura that participates in the tournament after discovering she is a shaman. Apart from a few appearances by recognizable characters, the majority of them will be original. Now without further ado, here's my take on one of my favorite series of all time and hopefully you'll enjoy it!**

1st Star: The Mysterious Comet

My name is Shizu Rakugaki. I'm 13 years old, and I live in Tokyo with my mother and father. We're a poor family, but I managed to get into Shinra Private Academy on a special scholarship. Yet despite this, I don't have any friends at school and mostly keep to myself. But I don't mind as reading books and writing stories of my own take up most of my free-time.

For instance, I was in my room jotting down story ideas when a bright light flashed outside. It was a large comet, streaking across the sky in a blazing fury. Then just as quickly as it came, the comet vanished.

 _That was strange_ , I thought. _There wasn't any news of a comet like that appearing tonight…_

My first thought was to tell my parents, but figuring they were sleeping I decided not to. So I turned in for the night changing into my blue two-piece pajamas wearing a silver cross on a chain-link necklace. As I started to take it off, the sound of rustling paper caught my attention. On my desk stood a paper star folded origami-style, which then immediately fell down.

"Is that—?" I got out of bed and picked up the star.

It was made from notebook paper and had a single word written at its center.

"Hoshi," I muttered. "That was the name of my imaginary friend, at least according to Mom."

Putting the paper star on the windowsill where it belonged, I went back to bed and fell asleep with the cross still around my neck.

###

The next morning, I woke up at 7 AM as usual and changed into my school uniform which consisted of a plain white blouse with a red ribbon, a dark-green skirt, and black stockings. I then put the paper star in the breast-pocket of my blouse, went into the bathroom and brushed my teeth, combed my long sky-blue hair, put it into pigtails and adorned my head with a gray headband to match the silver cross. After that, I went into the kitchen where my mother, who had the same hair-color as me only it was straighter, was already making miso soup in a gray kimono which was leftover from her days as a catholic nun. My father was there too, reading the newspaper with his small round glasses on wearing a royal-blue yukata and had his long dark hair tied back into a ponytail.

"Morning, Shizu!" My mother said as she tasted the soup. "How are you feeling today?"

"Fine," I replied nervously. "Um, I saw a comet last night."

This caused my father to look up from the paper. "Really? How big was it?"

"Enough to light up the whole sky," I responded. "I'm surprised there wasn't any announcement for it on the news."

My father briefly flipped through the newspaper. "There's no mention of it in today's paper."

"That's because it wasn't an ordinary comet," my mother murmured.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing," my mother denied as she ladled a bowl of soup. "You should eat this and get going, or you'll be late for school."

Not wanting to question her further, I took the soup from my mother's hands and ate it quickly before heading to the front door where I put on a pair of old leather clogs. From there, I went outside with my school bag in tow down the street and took a bus to school. At Shinra, the students were filing in just as I showed up. So I went inside and passed by several classrooms. In one of them, I noticed a boy about my age with spiked black hair wearing headphones who was in the sitting position with no chair underneath him while a girl with medium-length dark-blonde hair watched.

She caught me staring and glared. "What're you looking at?"

"Oh, sorry," I apologized and walked away.

In my classroom, I saw a group of upperclassmen boys roughhousing a kid with short brown hair and cat-like eyes.

"Hey, leave him alone!" I abruptly shouted.

The three upperclassmen immediately stared at me.

"This has nothing to do with you, Pigtails," said the tallest boy, who had beady eyes.

Taken aback, I flinched.

"What's with the cross?" Another boy asked, pointing at my necklace. "Is your family Christian or something?"

"No, it was given to me by a Pastor who's a friend of my mother."

"Whatever," the third boy shrugged, leering at me with a mischievous grin. "I call dibs!"

As he reached for the necklace, the bell rang. Irked, the third boy stormed out of the classroom while the other two followed.

"Are you okay, Jin?" I said to the brown-haired boy as he straightened his uniform out.

"I'm fine," the brown-haired boy grumbled.

Then the teacher came in, forcing us to take our seats.

###

Later, I was sitting on the sidelines in gym class watching the volleyball game being played out when I felt small hands touch the back of my neck. I looked back and apart from Jin and a couple other students there was no one standing before me. So I turned back and thought nothing more of it. But then up in the bleachers something appeared. It looked like a person, but was transparent with small blue flames surrounding the body. Thinking I was seeing things, I rubbed my eyes. Yet the person was still there, and looked directly at me.

"Rakugaki!" Cried the coach. "Your team's next!"

"Coming!" I said, getting up.

For a while, I ignored the person and concentrated on the game. Afterwards, I left the gym without looking back and went straight to the locker-room.

To be continued…


	2. 2nd Star: Seeing Ghosts

2nd Star: Seeing Ghosts

It wasn't until I started changing out of my gym clothes that I realized my necklace was gone. Worried, I looked around the locker and thought about heading back to the gymnasium but that transparent thing I saw made me frightened.

 _If it's not here, then…someone took it_ , I thought, remembering the fingers that touched my neck earlier. _But who's responsible?_

Thinking back to earlier, I remembered Jin being among the students who stood closest to me.

 _No, he wouldn't do something like that_ , I denied, shaking my head.

My thoughts were interrupted by the bell, so I quickly changed into my school uniform and left the locker-room.

###

On the way to the bus-stop, I noticed a strange man kneeling on the sidewalk. He had light-brown skin, close-cut raven hair, wearing a brown poncho that wrapped over his body and a matching scarf covering the lower-half of his face. A pair of dark shades obscured his eyes as he looked up at me.

"Care to look at what I'm selling?" The man asked politely.

I glanced at the man's feet where several kinds of jewelry were displayed on a wool blanket with a bear-shaped paw design on it.

"All of it is handmade and reasonably priced," assured the man. "Is there anything you're looking for in particular?"

"You don't…happen to have silver crosses, do you?" I said nervously.

The man shook his head. "No, but I do have a silver eagle with its wings spread."

With a gloved hand, he picked up a necklace tied with a black rope containing an eagle made of silver. Apart from its spread wings, there was a blue-colored stone at its center.

"The stone's made from turquoise, which is abundant where I come from," the man added.

"And where's that?" I asked.

"America," the man answered. "In particular the Southwest where I live with my tribe."

"So you're—

"Native American," the man interceded. "Though more specifically, I'm a member of the Patch Tribe."

"The Patch?"

"You've probably never heard of them. They're not as well-known as some of the other Tribes."

Before I could question the man further, I saw the bus coming down the road.

"Well, I appreciate your offer, but I've got to go," I stated, turning away from the man.

"If you change your mind, you know where to find me," the man replied.

Looking back, I noticed a large bear lying down behind the man. No one else seemed to notice it, so I quickly turned toward the bus and got on. After paying the fee, I breathed a sigh of relief as I sat down.

"Hey, get out of my seat!"

"Oh, excuse me," I apologized as I got up.

But when I looked back, I saw a grouchy old man sitting behind me. But like the person from the gym, his body was transparent with little blue flames hovering around him. Sitting down across from the man, I closed my eyes for a second but he was still there looking directly at me.

"That's the first time anyone's ever listened to me," the old man said. "Are you a psychic?"

"No, why?"

"Because I'm a ghost."

"What?"

A few people on the bus gave me odd looks.

"Yep," the old man nodded. "Died of a heart attack when I fell asleep in this very seat."

Unable to respond, I requested the bus-driver to stop.

"Where are you going?" The old man demanded.

Instead of answering, I got off the bus and ran in the direction of my home.

###

A couple hours later, I reached my house just as the sun was going down.

 _What's wrong with me?_ I wondered, thinking back to the person in the gym and the bear which I realized were probably ghosts too. _Am I going crazy?_

Inside, my mother was sitting at the dining-room table looking at a pile of bills with a worried look on her face.

"Is something wrong?" I said, getting my mother's attention.

"It's nothing," she responded, hiding the bills underneath her hand. "How was school today?"

"Fine, but…I lost my cross."

Surprised, she looked at my chest to see nothing there.

"Did you take it off?"

I shook my head. "I think someone stole it from me."

"Is there anyone you can think of who could've taken it?"

"Not really," I lied, thinking about Jin.

She groaned heavily.

"It's not a big deal," I assured her. "I'll just buy another necklace somewhere else."

"You don't understand," my mother said. "That cross was a gift from Pastor Hogarth."

"I'm aware of that, but—

"Did you see anything on the way home?"

"Like what?"

Before my mother could explain, a door opened near the back and my father came out.

"Oh, hi, Shizu," he smiled. "I didn't hear you come in."

After glaring at my mother, I stormed into my room and locked the door. Once inside, I closed the curtains and started to unbutton my blouse when something moved inside the breast-pocket. Cautiously, I looked inside and noticed the paper star which now had a faint blue aura around it. I immediately picked the paper star up and watched as the aura grew stronger. Then a pair of yellow eyes popped out of the star's body prompting me to let go. To my surprise, the paper star didn't fall but floated instead.

Stifling a scream, I went to the bedroom window, opened it, and ran outside.

###

Several blocks away, I found myself in a park full of cherry blossom trees that were bare with brown grass growing beneath them. But what drew my attention more was seeing the man from the bus-stop lying at the foot of one tree, which just so happened to be the oldest one in the park. Cautiously, I approached the man wondering if he was asleep or not.

"I had a feeling you would come here, Shizu Rakugaki," he said, startling me.

"H-How do you know my name?" I stepped back as he got up.

"You were on the list of candidates."

"Candidates? For what?"

"The Shaman King Tournament," he answered as a chilly wind picked up suddenly.

To be continued…


	3. 3rd Star: The Angry Bear

3rd Star: The Angry Bear

"Shaman King Tournament?" I said, repeating what the man said. "What's that?"

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity when the Great Spirit, which controls the world, manifests itself in the physical plane," the man explained, stretched his arms out. "So if a Shaman were to take control of it, they could shape the world in their image."

"And what is a Shaman?"

The man flinched. "You don't know?"

"No, should I?"

In response, the man put a hand over his face and groaned. "Oh, boy!"

"That doesn't answer my question."

Just then, something flew past me and hit the man's face. Surprised, he fell down as the thing levitated back around. It was the paper star, which still had the yellow eyes and the blue aura. But what drew my attention more was the bright letter at its center which I recognized.

"Hoshi," I realized.

The paper star made a small chirping noise in response.

"I see how it is," the man abruptly said as he got up once more. "You were pretending to be ignorant so your Guardian Spirit could attack me while I wasn't looking."

Looking at Hoshi, I responded, "That's not what I—

"Enough talk!" The man snapped. "Let's get this test over with!"

Removing his poncho and scarf, the man revealed he was wearing a sleeveless shirt made of brown leather with the same bear-paw insignia from before with matching pants and moccasins underneath.

"Before we get started, I should probably introduce myself," the man stated as he took out some red face-paint and smeared a line across his face. "My name is Uran. I'm a Patch Officiant, and my Guardian Spirit is Big Bear!"

As the man tied a brown-and-tan headband with zigzag patterning around his head, the giant bear I saw before appeared behind him. It stood on its hind-legs with transparent white fur that had black patterns covering its entire body. Staring down at me with cold pupil-less blue eyes, it roared loudly.

"In life, it was a Spirit Bear that had been taken in by a traveling circus," Uran stated, showing off the leather braces on his arms which had bear claws sewn into them. "Seeing how poorly it was being treated, I freed the Spirit Bear from captivity. Unfortunately, it couldn't survive in the warm desert environment as they normally live further north in Canada. So out of guilt for my mistake, I mercy-killed the bear which decided to stay with me as a Guardian Spirit instead of passing on to the afterlife."

"Okay, but what does that have to do with this 'test' you mentioned?" I asked.

"Oh, right, I got side-tracked," Uran realized, as Big Bear shook its head. "The test itself requires two steps: first, you need to create an Oversoul, and then hit me with it."

"An Oversoul?"

"It's when you merge a spirit with a solid object, allowing it to do actual damage in the real world instead of just in the spiritual plane," Uran described and pointed at Hoshi. "Your Shikigami is a perfect example of that."

"Shikigami?" An image suddenly flashed in my mind, causing me to have a sudden headache.

"Don't play dumb with me," Uran growled. "I'm not falling for the same trick twice."

"But I wasn't tricking you," I insisted. "I honestly don't know what you're talking about."

"Then hit me with your Oversoul, and maybe we'll talk." Uran clenched his fist, causing the bear claws on his braces to glow.

Meanwhile, Big Bear seemed to vanish though its enormous paws remained. They merged with the bear claws, followed by a flash of light which blinded me and Hoshi. Once it subsided, I saw the man's hands covered by metal gauntlets shaped like bear heads with the bear claws sticking out having grown longer and sharper.

"Come on, Onmyoji," Uran taunted, sharpening the claws. "Show me what you've got!"

He then came charging toward me, so I dodged and hid behind a cherry blossom tree. Hoshi did the same, but we weren't safe for long as he cut down the tree we were hiding behind with one claw. It immediately came tumbling down, forcing Hoshi and I to run away.

 _Why did he call me an Onmyoji?_ I wondered, hiding behind another tree as Hoshi flew back into my breast-pocket. _What does that even mean?_

The same image from before appeared in my mind again, of me being attacked by a monster that resembled a black star with an eye shaped like a downward crescent moon and a giant mouth full of fanged teeth. This brought on the headache, as Hoshi chirped loudly. Uran had found me once more, and proceeded to cut down the tree I hid behind.

"This isn't going the way I hoped," Uran admitted. "Either show yourself, or admit defeat!"

Irritated, I shouted, "Leave me alone!"

Immediately, Hoshi flew out of my pocket and straight toward Uran. Remembering what happened last time, Uran blocked Hoshi with his gauntlets. I watched but the headache grew stronger, causing my vision to blacken.

In my mind, I saw myself with smaller hands folding several origami stars with Hoshi floating next to me.

" _Don't worry, Hoshi,_ " I said, though my voice was higher-pitched. " _All your friends will be here before you know it!_ "

" _Shizu._ "

I looked up and saw my mother enter the room, looking down at me with surprised eyes.

" _What are you doing?_ " My mother asked. " _How did you summon that Shikigami?_ "

" _You mean Hoshi?_ " I corrected. " _He just showed up._ "

" _When?_ "

" _A few days ago,_ " I responded.

" _And you're not feeling tired?_ "

" _Nope._ "

The memory then suddenly faded, as someone shook me awake. I opened my eyes to behold a grey alien wearing a long robe with a metallic brooch shaped like a UFO. Surprised, I curled up.

"Oh, sorry," the alien apologized, and a bright light followed.

In the alien's place stood a young girl with wavy black hair, tan skin, wearing a bandana that had triangle-shaped patterns on it, and two long feathers pointing downward.

She noticed I was staring and blushed. "H-Hi, Shizu…Rakugaki."

Confused, I sat up from the ground. "Who're you?"

To be continued…


	4. 4th Star: Family Secrets

4th Star: Family Secrets

"I'm…Rutherfor," the girl answered, and held out her hand. "One of the Ten Officiants for the Patch Tribe, who are overseeing the Shaman King Tournament."

After Rutherfor helped me to my feet, I noticed Uran hovering midair with a small cut on his right cheek. Hoshi, meanwhile, lay motionless beneath him having reverted back to an ordinary paper star.

"What's going on?" I asked, rubbing my head.

"It looked like you passed out just as your Oversoul was attacking Uran," Rutherfor deduced. "Naturally, this caused the Oversoul to deteriorate but it managed to expand one of its arms at the last minute and cut Uran's cheek before fading altogether. Then Uran was about to step on the paper star, but I interfered."

"So you're the one who's making him float?" When Rutherfor nodded, I asked, "How?"

"With my Spirit Grey Saucer," Rutherfor explained, turning to an apparition of the gray alien I saw before. "In its Oversoul form, I can manipulate gravity."

"Really?"

She noticed my confused look. "I take it you weren't aware of being a Shaman until now."

"Shaman? Is that the same thing as an Onmyoji?"

"Onmyojis are a type of Shaman. They can call forth familiars known as Shikigami."

"Is that what Hoshi was?"

"If that's the name of your Oversoul, then yes," Rutherfor said as she glanced at Hoshi. "Just as Uran combined the spirit of his bear with the claws on his arms, you called a nature spirit that merged with the paper star."

"Oh," I realized. "That's what Uran meant when he said to combine a spirit with a physical object to form an Oversoul."

"Exactly," Rutherfor confirmed. "However, it takes a lot of energy out of a Shaman hence why you passed out."

"But that doesn't explain the memory I saw, of me as a little kid with Hoshi and that black thing—

Rutherfor glanced at me. "So you were capable of summoning Shikigami and creating an Oversoul when you were younger?"

"Maybe, but I don't remember really well."

"Hmm," Rutherfor frowned. "Well, in either case, I came on behalf of the Patch Tribe to apologize for the misunderstanding that took place here."

"Misunderstanding?"

"This man lied to you," Rutherfor stated bluntly, glaring at Uran. "He's only half-Patch, and failed to become an Officiant because of it. Yet he still came to Japan anyway, hoping to fool young Shamans like yourself into thinking he was one."

"She's the only person I've tested!" Uran claimed. "Give me some slack!"

"But you had no right to do that," Rutherfor argued. "She wasn't even on the list of potential candidates due to her lack of showing any Shamanic abilities."

"Yet as our battle showed, she is clearly capable of them," Uran counter-argued.

"I wouldn't call it a 'battle' so much as one-sided intimidation on your part." Rutherfor then turned away from Uran and back to me. "He stole our list of non-candidates by mistake, found your name and looked up everything about you without our permission. So I apologize for what happened, and we will do everything to fix the situation."

Then she transformed into the gray alien once more and floated away on a small UFO with Uran following behind. Once they had left, I picked up Hoshi from the ground, put him back in my breast-pocket, and walked home.

###

By the time I got back, my parents were banging vigorously on the door. Reluctantly, I opened it seeing their startled faces.

"We heard a noise, but didn't bother to check up until now," My father explained. "Is everything all right?"

Putting a hand on my breast-pocket, I said, "There's something I want to know, and it can't wait until tomorrow."

"Sure, sweetie," my mother agreed. "What is it?"

"Am I…a Shaman?"

While my father looked bewildered, my mother seemed distraught.

"So you did see something on the way home from school," she figured.

"If you're talking about ghosts, then yeah," I confirmed. "How come I've never been able to see them before?"

My mother turned to my father, who nodded, then she turned back to me. "Let's talk about it in the kitchen."

"Fine," I grumbled, following them down the hallway.

Once we got there, everyone sat around the table including myself.

"To begin with, my name isn't Reiko Rakugaki," my mother stated. "It's Reiko Asakura."

"Asakura?" Thinking back, I remembered the dark-haired boy with the headphones. "I think there's a kid at school with that name."

My mother contemplated this for a moment. "He must be from the Main Family, then."

"Main Family?"

"The Asakuras are made up of two branches," My mother explained. "There's the Main Family, which is currently run by Yohmei Asakura, and the Branch Family which is run by my father Kakuri Asakura. Together, our family has produced a strong line of powerful Japanese Shamans stemming from one ancestor named Hao Asakura."

"And who was he?"

"An Onmyoji, who served as a spiritual advisor to the emperor in ancient times with the ability to summon spirits called Shikigami to do his bidding. He could even summon Ogres from his mind that were terrible monsters with sharp teeth and carried massive clubs."

Once again, the image of that black star with teeth appeared in my mind and I flinched.

"Something wrong?" My father asked.

"No, I'm fine," I assured him.

Looking at me with concern, my mother cleared her throat and continued, "At some point, Hao Asakura went insane and thought that humans needed to be eliminated so Shamans could rule the earth and restore nature to its proper glory. While the Main Family banned together to stop him, the Branch Family chose to side with him. As a result, there was a bloody battle and only a few Branch Family members remained. Even to this day, our family is scarce. Though the Main Family has suffered its own casualties, and the Shaman population is dying out in general. But anyway, I was born into the Branch Family with the ability to see spirits and hear the voices of the Gods to foretell disasters."

To be continued…


	5. 5th Star: Returns and Revelations

5th Star: Returns and Revelations

"Naturally, my father wanted me to undergo training to become a Miko, or Shrine Priestess, along with my cousin Keiko who was the daughter of Yohmei, the Main Family's leader," my mother said as she continued to speak. "But when I learned about our family's history in relation to Hao, I became ashamed of my powers. So I ran away and became a nun under Pastor Hogarth's tutelage. Then I met your father, who wooed me with his poetry, and had you. However, it didn't occur to me that you could possibly inherit Shamanic abilities as well. This came to light when you summoned your first Shikigami at age 6, and even created an Oversoul named Hoshi."

"You mean this?" I took Hoshi out of my breast-pocket and put it on the table.

"Yes," my mother nodded. "You were able to channel a nature spirit through the paper star, which came to life and you called it Hoshi. After that, it followed you everywhere."

"Of course, she didn't tell me any of this when we first met," my father chimed in. "But after you summoned your little friend, I was naturally surprised."

"Yet you still stayed with her," I observed.

My father glanced at my mother and smiled. "Because I love Reiko as a person, this Shaman stuff didn't bother me in the slightest."

"But then the accident occurred," my mother interrupted. "Shizu, you told me Hoshi was lonely so you made several paper stars in turn. After several days, each star was possessed by a Shikigami and they all came together to form a massive Ogre-like creature that nearly killed you."

"Fortunately, your mother and I were able to save you," my father added.

"What happened then?" I said cautiously.

"You passed out and the creature faded away," my mother answered. "At the time, I figured it was due to your inability to maintain the creature's form with the amount of Mana you were exerting."

"Mana?" I asked.

"The natural energy a Shaman possesses," my mother explained. "It's what allows them to control spirits and create Oversouls. But the greater the Mana, the more powerful an Oversoul will be."

"I see." Looking down at Hoshi, I said, "So because I unintentionally used a lot of Mana—

"The Oversoul became too powerful for you to maintain," my mother finished. "As a result, you fainted from exhaustion and the creature reverted back to the paper stars that made up its form. Fearing the same thing could happen again, I went to Pastor Hogarth and he gave you that silver cross which he claimed would seal your Shamanic powers away indefinitely."

"And that's why I couldn't remember the accident until now? Let alone see spirits?"

"The repressed memories were an unforeseen side-effect of the cross' power, but yes."

For a long time, none of us spoke. Then as the clock struck, we went to our rooms and slept the rest of the night. The next morning, I expected Hoshi to be floating but he was just as still as before.

 _Maybe yesterday was just a bad dream_ , I thought, getting up.

Once I got into my school uniform, I went into the kitchen and saw my mother making miso soup and my father reading the newspaper like before.

###

After school, I was about to head to the bus-stop when Jin suddenly approached me. He looked embarrassed, which concerned me.

"I took this from you yesterday," Jin confessed, holding up my silver cross necklace. "Those upperclassmen made me do it."

"Why?" I asked, blinking in disbelief.

"They didn't like you butting in on their business."

"Which was?"

"To make me do their homework for them."

"And did you agree to do it?"

Jin shook his head. "You interrupted them before I could say anything."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know, but I felt bad about stealing your necklace. It seemed important to you."

Then Jin gave me the necklace and walked away before I could question him further.

###

Instead of going home, I went to the cherry blossom tree park instead. There, I noticed two of the trees had been cut down and several city workers were pondering over them.

 _It wasn't a dream, then_ , I realized.

Sighing, I turned away and saw Uran standing behind me.

"Where did you come from?" I demanded.

"Over there," Uran claimed, pointing to a street-corner where Rutherfor was sitting.

Instead of the robe, she wore a blue denim jacket that had a gray alien head stitched to the back of it, matching jeans, and gray moccasins. At her feet were small trinkets shaped like aliens and UFOs.

"Rutherfor wants to talk to you," Uran stated. "It's important."

Putting a hand over my breast-pocket where Hoshi was nestled, but not moving, I followed Uran over to Rutherfor. She noticed me and stood up, removing her sunglasses while doing so.

"That necklace…" Rutherfor pointed to the cross which I held in one hand. "It has a very strong Mana signature."

"That's what I sensed too," Uran added, and turned to me. "Where did you get it?"

"From a Pastor," I said reluctantly. "He gave me this cross to seal away my Shamanic powers when I was younger, after I summoned a creature that almost killed me."

This made Rutherfor raise an eyebrow.

"My mother knew him from her days as a nun, before she eloped with my father," I elaborated. "His name's Hogarth and he lives at the Jokyo Catholic Church near here."

Uran and Rutherfor exchanged glances.

"Is there something wrong with that?"

"No," Uran assured. "But this Pastor you're talking about sounds like an Exorcist."

My eyes widened. "An Exorcist?"

"They're a rare type of Shaman that can banish spirits from a possessed person or place directly to the afterlife," Rutherfor described. "They also have the power to seal away other Shamans' spirits, which makes them very dangerous yet highly desired."

"And you think the Pastor who gave me this necklace…was one of them?"

In response, Uran nodded.

"But the reason I wanted to speak to you is because of this." From one of her coat pockets, Rutherfor produced a small device with metallic feathers, blue straps, and a screen on it. "Even though Uran wasn't a Patch Officiant, the Great Spirit thinks you're qualified to participate in the Shaman King Tournament."

To be continued…


	6. 6th Star: A Choice to be Made

**Author's Note: So in the original** ** _Shaman King_** **manga, which I used to read in middle school, the device that the Shamans wore to be informed of matches and other information for the Shaman King Tournament was called an Oracle Pager. But when I looked it up online, it's actually called an Oracle Bell. Now I'm not sure what the reason is for this change (maybe it has something to do with the reprinted volumes that came out exclusively in Japan a few years ago), but I'm going to call them Oracle Pagers instead of Bells because that's what I remember them being called.**

6th Star: A Choice to be Made

"What's that?" I asked, looking at the small metallic device Rutherford held in her hand.

"It's called an Oracle Pager," Rutherfor explained. "It serves as a badge of sorts, to indicate that you're qualified to participate in the Shaman King Tournament. It'll also inform you of important information such as who your opponents will be and where you'll meet."

"And where is this information coming from?"

"The Great Spirit, of course."

Surprised, I took the device from Rutherfor's hand and saw my name appear on the screen. This was then followed by a message.

"It says, 'Should you choose to participate, your first opponent will be Annabelle Lee. The battle will take place two weeks from now at the British Embassy building at 6:00 PM.'" I looked up at Uran and Rutherfor nervously. "I'm not sure about this. I've never fought another Shaman before."

"Except for me," Uran pointed out.

"But I only beat you by chance," I argued. "If Rutherfor hadn't interfered, I would've definitely lost the match."

"You're probably right," Uran agreed. "But to make sure that doesn't happen in future battles, Rutherfor has assigned me to be your Shamanic teacher."

Wide-eyed, I looked at Rutherfor who folded her arms.

"It was the only suitable punishment Goldva could come up with to make him pay for his treachery," Rutherfor frowned. "Personally, I would've sent you back to the Patch Village and locked you up for good."

I gave Rutherfor a confused look. "Who's Goldva?"

"He's the Patch Chief," Rutherfor stated. "So whatever he says goes."

"Oh, I see." Looking at the Oracle Pager in one hand and the silver cross in the other, I sighed. "Could I think about this for a while?"

"Sure," Uran nodded. "But don't take too long to decide because it would be good to do at least some training before your first Preliminary Round fight."

As I started to walk away, I stopped. "How many rounds are there?"

"Two," Rutherfor answered.

"Okay."

###

Back at home, my mother and father were both in the living-room looking upset.

"Hey, what's going on?" I said, sensing something bad. "Why the long faces?"

"Shizu," my father began. "You may not know this, but…though I write poems for a living, it doesn't exactly pay the bills."

"I've known that for a long time," I confessed.

Surprised, my father asked, "How?"

"Because mother sometimes complains about it when you're not around."

"Is this true, Reiko?" My father turned to my mother, who looked away.

"Yes, Oro," my mother said reluctantly. "But not because I don't support your work."

"Then why?"

"Because I was worried that this would happen."

My mother then thrust a piece of paper onto the table.

"'Foreclosure Warning!'," I read out loud. "So does this mean—

"We might lose the house," my mother abruptly stated. "Unless your father starts publishing best-selling poems, or I get a job to help pay for the mortgage."

"You don't need to do that for me, Reiko," my father insisted. "My book of poems is almost complete. So all I have to do is send it to a publisher and—

"You've always said that, Oro!" My mother snapped. "When will you actually finish it?"

Unable to answer my father left the table and went into the back-room, which he used to write in, closing the door behind him. Afterwards, my mother started crying.

"There is…another way to save our house," I claimed, taking out the Oracle Pager. "I got this from someone I ran into yesterday, which apparently qualifies me for—

"The Shaman Fight in Tokyo," my mother interrupted.

Blinking, I said, "How did you know?"

"Last night the Gods spoke to me, whom I haven't heard in a long time," my mother began. "They told me you would be participating in the Shaman King Tournament that's being held here in Japan, but…"

"But what?"

"I'm too afraid to say it." My mother covered her tear-stained eyes and wiped them dry. "So I spoke to Pastor Hogarth, and he'll be coming over tomorrow to renew the seal on your cross."

"How come?"

"Because as soon as the necklace was removed, the seal that kept your powers at bay was broken," my mother explained. "Therefore, it needs to be renewed and Hogarth is the only person to—

From the breast-pocket of my school uniform emerged Hoshi, who was glowing once more. It made several angry chirping sounds at my mother and then turned to me.

"You think I should participate in this tournament?" I guessed.

In response, Hoshi nodded and pointed at the Oracle Pager with one of its arms.

Holding it tightly, I said, "If the Great Spirit chose me, then how can I refuse?"

So I put the cross on the table, much to my mother's horror, and proceeded to strap the Oracle Pager to my wrist.

"I may not know much about the Shaman world right now, but if I train hard and talk to the right people…I'll figure it out and get strong enough to take on the best!" As I made this declaration, Hoshi flew around my head excitedly.

While my mother was speechless, the back-door suddenly opened causing Hoshi to hide in my breast-pocket. I quickly hid the Oracle Pager under my blouse sleeve and tucked the cross under the foreclosure paper as my father came out.

"What's going on?" My father demanded. "I heard a lot of noise coming from out here and…Reiko, are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine," my mother lied, wiping her eyes one last time. "I'll start making dinner now."

As she got up from the table, I quickly went into my room before my father could ask me any questions. Once inside, Hoshi left my breast-pocket and flew around the room. Just then, I suddenly felt tired and collapsed onto the bed.

To be continued…


	7. 7th Star: Soul Integration

7th Star: Soul Integration

When I woke up, I found myself in a hotel room with Uran standing near the window and Rutherfor flipping through channels on the TV.

"How did I…get here?" I wondered out loud, getting their attention.

"Goldva received a message from the Great Spirit that the same Exorcist who gave you that cross would attempt to seal away your powers permanently," Rutherfor explained, though her eyes were still glued to the TV. "So he ordered us to take you away from your home and stay with us for the time-being."

"Even though I didn't agree to this?" I looked for Hoshi and saw him propped against the bedside lamp.

"Yet you've still got the Oracle Pager." Uran pointed to my wrist, and indeed the Oracle Pager was there.

"Yeah, I declared that I wanted to know more about the Shaman world through this tournament," I said guiltily. "And there is something I want the Great Spirit to do if I win."

"Which is?" Rutherfor glanced from the TV to me.

"To make my father's poems sell better so we don't have to foreclose our house," I admitted, though my cheeks flushed red from embarrassment.

"How long until the foreclosure?"

"I'm not sure. I didn't look at the notice long enough to get the deadline. Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering," Rutherfor shrugged and looked back at the TV.

"Well, anyway, we should probably start your Shamanic training," Uran suggested. "If you're feeling up for it, that is."

"I am," I answered, taking Hoshi from the bedside lamp and putting him in the breast-pocket of my blouse. "But let me call my school first so I—

"Don't bother," Rutherfor interrupted. "It'll only lead your parents to us, along with the Exorcist, and we can't let that happen."

Irritated, I responded, "How is this any different from a kidnapping?"

"You're free to go if you want," Uran claimed. "But that means having to give up the Oracle Pager and your chance of saving your family house from foreclosure."

Looking down at the Oracle Pager, I sighed. "All right, I won't call the school."

"Then I should probably take you clothes shopping," Rutherfor declared, getting up from the bed she sat on. "Your uniform isn't exactly something I would train in."

"Agreed." I smelled it, and flinched. "Plus, it still smells from all the running I did yesterday."

"From me?" Uran pointed to himself.

"No," I shook my head. "There was this ghost on the bus I usually take from school, and I got scared and ran all the way back home."

"What did he want?" Rutherfor asked.

"To not have someone sit in his seat, which he apparently died in," I answered.

Uran stroked his chin thoughtfully. "This might be a good opportunity."

"For what?" I asked.

"To teach you about Soul Integration."

"Soul Integration?"

"Unlike Oversouls, Soul Integration is when a Shaman allows him or herself to be possessed by a spirit," Rutherfor claimed. "It's the most basic skill a Shaman is capable of, while an Oversoul is a more advanced technique."

"So I'm working backwards?" This made me feel uneasy.

"Of course," Uran nodded. "Since you never received proper Shamanic training, which usually starts after a Shaman's powers manifest at the age of 5 or 6, you'll have to learn the basics before we work on improving your Oversoul."

"I see." Looking down at Hoshi, I paused for a moment before saying, "But what does this have to do with the ghost I saw on the bus?"

"You're going to integrate his soul with yours, and figure out what's keeping him from passing on to the afterlife," Uran responded.

"After I get her some fresh clothes first," Rutherfor added, and took me by the hand out the door.

###

Sometime later, I changed out of my school uniform into a light-blue dress-top with a black vest over that and matching blue shorts, white socks, and black dress-shoes. Then I put Hoshi in one of my vest pockets, straightened my hair out before putting it into a long ponytail, and put on a thin black headband to complement the vest.

" _Are you ready?_ " Uran said as he knocked on the door.

"Pretty much," I reluctantly stated, and left the bathroom with my uniform folded in my hands.

After putting it on the bed Rutherfor sat on, I followed Uran outside the hotel down several blocks until we came to a fenced-off parking lot where all the city buses were kept. Using the bear-shaped gauntlets, Uran was able to cut a hole in the fence with ease. Then we snuck into the parking-lot and found the bus where the old man was seated with the blue flames still around him. While Uran used brute strength to open the bus door, I was taking deep slow breaths to calm my nerves. Once he opened the door, Uran stepped onto the bus while I trailed behind. To our surprise, the old man was sleeping in his seat making loud snoring noises.

"Huh, I didn't know ghosts could sleep," I said nervously.

"This was probably how he behaved in life," Uran guessed. "So he's merely replicating it."

"Okay, so what do I do?"

"First, you have to take hold of the ghost and transform him into a Spirit Flame."

"Like those blue flames?" I pointed.

"Exactly," Uran said while folding his arms. "Now hold your hand out and concentrate."

Taking a nervous gulp, and waved my hand toward the old man as he continued to snore. Closing my eyes, I pictured the blue flames and focused on that. A few moments later, I heard a sudden yelp and looked. In my hand was a flaming orb that was forest green like the coat the old man wore with his face plastered on it.

"What the heck are you doing?" the old man demanded. "Put me down!"

"All right, now that you've got the Spirit Flame, press it into your chest and say, 'Integrate!'," Uran ordered.

Flinching, I gripped the flaming orb and pressed it towards me. "Integrate!"

To be continued…


	8. 8th Star: Training and Preparation

8th Star: Training and Preparation

What happened next was a strange sensation where I felt something enter my body causing it to go limp. Then a few seconds later I moved slightly, though I wasn't in control, and spoke in the old man's voice.

" _Hey, what's the big idea?_ " I said, putting my arms on my hips. " _Who're you, sonny?_ "

"I'm a Shaman," Uran answered. "And so is the girl who's body you're currently occupying."

" _What?_ " Looking down at myself, I blushed nervously. " _This is kind of awkward._ "

"It won't last long," Uran assured. "Until we find out what's keeping you from passing on."

" _You mean the afterlife?_ " When Uran nodded, I scratched my head. " _Well, I would like to sit in my favorite seat one last time._ "

"The same one you died in?"

" _Yeah,_ " I nodded. " _It happened so fast, that I didn't notice anything until someone took away my body and another person sat in the exact same seat. I got so irritated, and insisted upon staying…though no one ever listened to me until this young lady did._ "

"It was her latent Shamanic abilities that allowed her to see and hear you," Uran explained. "And it was she who allowed herself to get possessed by your spirit."

" _For what purpose?_ "

"To give you the means to fulfill your unfinished business and find peace in death."

" _So a Shaman is—_

"A link between the spirit world and the human world," Uran declared.

Looking behind me, I saw the seat near the front on the right side of the bus. Tepidly I moved toward the seat, and sat in it. Feeling a sense of familiarity and comfort, my body felt suddenly lighter followed by a sudden bout of tiredness.

"Congratulations," Uran stated. "You helped your first ghost."

###

Over the next few days, we went around Tokyo looking for ghosts in need of help. As a result, I got better with Soul Integration and didn't get as tired after each possession. But when it came to improving my Oversoul, I still passed out every time I used Hoshi.

"Somehow, you need to control the amount of Mana you're using to create Hoshi," Uran said to me after I had recovered at the hotel-room.

"How?" I asked, rubbing my head in irritation. "I'm trying my hardest to maintain Hoshi's form in combat, but I just get so tired."

Uran contemplated for a moment. "Maybe you don't need to use as much Mana as you think."

"What do you mean?"

"Try to keep the Mana level to a minimum, but maintainable amount."

"Okay. I'll try."

###

The next day, I followed Uran's advice and was able to summon Hoshi much more easily. Then when Uran and I did combat practice, I discovered Hoshi's main abilities were flight and expanding each point of his star-shaped body in a ghostly aura that despite being transparent were as sharp as blades.

"I've heard that Shikigami aren't powerful in of themselves, but in greater numbers they are," Uran claimed as we were taking a break. "At least, that's what I read in a book about famous Onmyoji."

"Like who?"

"Abe no Seimei."

"Oh, I've heard of him. Was he a contemporary of Hao Asakura?"

Uran hesitated to answer. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm just curious."

Sighing, Uran said, "Yes, though Hao was known as Asaha Douji back then."

"Was he mentioned in that book you read?"

"No."

"Then where?"

"Let's just say the Patch Tribe is quite familiar with Hao."

"I see." Seeing Uran's pained look, I decided to change the subject. "So, you're saying I should summon more spirits like Hoshi?"

"If you can, though I'm not too familiar with how Shikigami summonings work."

"Neither do I, since I created Hoshi by accident."

"Explain."

"Well, I just…created an origami star, wrote, 'Hoshi' on it, and then Bam! Hoshi was born!"

"Without using spells?"

"Nope."

"Did you try this method on other origami figures?"

"According to my mom, I made a bunch of origami stars to give Hoshi some friends because he was lonely. But…I wound up summoning a giant Ogre-like creature that nearly killed me and attacked my parents."

"Did it hurt them?"

"Fortunately, I passed out causing the creature to dissipate and revert back to the origami stars that made up its form."

"Sounds like an Oversoul that got out of hand."

"That's what I've been thinking too, ever since we started this training. And I guess the cross Pastor Hogarth gave me not only sealed away my Shamanic powers but also my memories of the incident, which I'm starting to remember bit by bit."

"Must've been pretty traumatic if you're slowly piecing it together."

Neither of us said anything after that, and decided to call it a day.

###

At the hotel-room, Uran and I agreed that the best strategy to win against Annabelle Lee was to train Hoshi to get stronger instead of trying to summon more Shikigami.

"Can you tell me what kind of a Shaman she's like, or would that be cheating?" I asked Rutherfor, feeling guilty.

"There's not a lot to say about her," Rutherfor stated. "She's from a wealthy British family, and has been living in Tibet for four years mastering the Pho Ba* Ritual."

"Pho Ba Ritual?"

"Traditionally, it's used for meditation to reach a near death-like state of consciousness. But it can also be used to transfer ones soul into another body."

"Like another person?"

"Theoretically, yes, but I'm not sure if Annabelle has those capabilities."

"But as an Officiant, shouldn't you know these things?"

"I wasn't the one who tested her, though."

"Then how did you know she was British and living in Tibet?"

"Her name was on the list of candidates, so I looked her up myself to satisfy my own curiosity."

"Do you know how she ended up in Tibet in the first place?"

"Annabelle's father was a university professor who was fascinated by the Pho Ba Ritual, and decided to investigate it for himself. But, he never came back."

"Any idea why?"

Rutherfor shook her head. "There was nothing I could find to indicate what happened to him. Then Annabelle retraced her father's footsteps and apparently mastered the Pho Ba Ritual herself."

"And how old is she now?"

"Fourteen."

"Wow, only a year older than me."

To be continued…

*Also known as Phowa, but pronounced the same way


	9. 9th Star: The Living Doll

**Hey, sorry I'm late with this chapter! I got so caught up in finishing another fanfic I've been meaning to finish for a long time, and so here I am with another installment of my _Shaman King_** **OC** **fan-fiction!**

9th Star: The Living Doll

When the date of the Preliminary Match with Annabelle came, I waited until 5 PM before Rutherfor escorted me to the British Embassy since she was going to be monitoring the fight. We approached a large building that was white which had an iron gate in front of it with two posts on either side that were topped by lamps. Near the gate, a young girl stood holding something in her arms. She was slightly taller than me, with long black hair accented by two crimson bows which matched her knee-length dress that had white-colored pantyhose and black slippers. As Rutherfor and I got closer, it occurred to me that the thing the girl was holding was a doll with stringy brown hair, black button eyes, and a sewn mouth shaped into a smile wearing a blue coat and grey trousers.

"Shizu Rakugaki, I presume?" The girl said to me in a slight accent, though her coal grey eyes were staring at Rutherfor. "And you must be the Patch Officiant who will be monitoring us."

"Correct," Rutherfor nodded.

"I'm Annabelle Lee, and I'll be your opponent for this evening," the girl responded and turned towards the gate. "Follow me, please."

As Annabelle opened the gate with the push of her hand, Rutherfor and I followed her in. After she closed the gate behind us, we walked through a thick foliage of trees that blocked out the moon which was starting to rise in the East.

"What's his name?" I asked abruptly. "The doll, I mean."

"Roger," Annabelle replied. "He's my Medium."

Before I could ask her what that meant, we came upon a clearing and a mansion-like house beyond it.

"This is where our match will be held," Annabelle said, pointing at the mansion. "There's no one else living in there, except for me."

"Now I probably don't need to remind you two, but here's some things to keep in mind," Rutherfor stated. "Once the match starts, your Oversouls must be activated and maintained for as long as possible. If either of you are unable to maintain your Oversoul due to an injury or damage to the Medium itself, the match will be over."

Just then, a beeping noise startled me. I looked down at my Oracle Pager, while Annabelle rolled up her dress sleeve revealing a similar Pager that had red straps on it instead of blue. On mine, the words 'Shaman Fight' appeared and then a countdown started.

"It seems the time has come," Annabelle said, showing her Pager which showed the number '3'. "Let's go inside."

She then ran towards the mansion, while I reluctantly followed. Once inside, I immediately noticed Annabelle was lying on the floor.

"What happened?" I wondered out loud as the Pager finished the countdown followed by the word 'Begin'. "Are you okay, Annabelle?"

In response, Hoshi leaped out of my vest pocket and circled around the room revealing it to be a foyer as his body's natural glow became brighter than usual.

"I didn't know you could do that," I remarked.

Then Hoshi flew up a flight of stairs towards the back of the foyer when I heard soft footsteps coming from that direction. We got to the top of the stairs and walked down a long corridor that stretched several feet in front of us. To our left was an adjacent hallway with an open door, which I cautiously entered. Inside, there was a room with a high-vaulted ceiling and the doll Roger lying on the floor. Around it lay a series of knives that had varying length.

" _It's not polite to enter a room without knocking first_ ," Roger said in Annabelle's voice as it sat up on its own. " _Otherwise, you'll get in trouble._ "

"Annabelle?" I exclaimed, standing up as the doll did as well. "Is that you?"

" _Yes, it is,_ " Roger answered, picking up a nearby knife in the process despite lacking fingers. " _This is my Oversoul: Nirmanakaya._ "

"How are you doing this?"

" _The Pho Ba Ritual!_ " Roger then threw a knife, causing me to immediately duck. " _It allows one to transfer one's soul into another body, such as this doll._ "

As Roger threw another knife, Hoshi expanded his body and hovered right in front of me. Instead of cutting him, the knife bounced off of Hoshi's body and lodged itself into a nearby wall.

" _So that's what a Shikigami looks like,_ " Roger remarked. " _It's not as intimidating as I thought it would be._ "

Picking up several knives, Roger threw them at Hoshi who managed to withhold them all. At that moment, I started to feel dizzy making me realize I was using too much Mana. So I ran back towards the door with Hoshi following me, causing Roger to pick up another knife and throw it in my direction. Hoshi blocked it with one of his arms, while I managed to leave the room and run down the corridor. As Hoshi flew alongside me, Roger came stumbling out of the room carrying the remaining knives in its hands. Unfortunately, its feet gave out as the knives cut into its limbs and torso. Screaming in pain, Roger suddenly went limp as a bright yellow orb flew from its body. It went past Hoshi and I, prompting us to follow it down the stairs where it merged with Annabelle's body. She then woke up groaning loudly as Rutherfor suddenly entered the foyer.

"Based on what Grey Saucer saw, I declare Shizu to be the winner of this fight," Rutherfor proclaimed as she looked up at me.

As if on queue, the Oracle Pager beeped and stated my name along with the word 'Winner'.

"That's not fair!" Annabelle cried in protest as she got to her feet. "My Oversoul tripped on accident, so I demand a rematch!"

"Sorry, Miss Lee, but I can't do that," Rutherfor stated firmly. "Since your Medium was damaged, you were forced to relinquish your Oversoul while Shizu maintained hers the entire time. That therefore makes her the winner and you the loser."

Clenching her fist, Annabelle ran up the stairs shoving past me in the process and down the corridor where she picked up her doll Roger and hugged it tightly. I thought I heard her crying, but my head started to feel light as Hoshi flew back into my pocket and became an ordinary paper star once more.

To be continued…


	10. 10th Star: Unexpected Team-Up

10th Star: Unexpected Team-Up

"So…what happens now?" I asked Rutherfor after we left the British Embassy.

"You wait and prepare for the next match in the Preliminary Round," Rutherfor answered, holding my arm. She had caught me just as I was about to fall down the stairs in the mansion, and escorted me out of there leaving Annabelle with her damaged doll.

"What about Annabelle? Is she banned from the tournament for good?"

"No, she can still participate. If you recall, you have to win at least two out of three matches to win the Preliminary Round. So she may have lost this match, but she'll have to make up for it in the next two matches to make it to the next Round of the Shaman King Tournament."

"But I feel like I didn't really win," I said guiltily. "Instead of facing her head-on, I ran away when I feared of using too much Mana which would've caused me to faint putting myself and Hoshi in danger."

"And that's the risk you must face in these upcoming battles," Rutherfor stated, looking directly at me. "If you don't think you're adequate to keep going, all you have to do is give me the Pager and that'll be the end of it."

Looking down at my Pager, I sighed. "I can't stop now. If I don't become the Shaman King, my parents will lose their house for good!"

After that, I leaned against Rutherfor's shoulder as she took us back to the hotel where Uran was waiting. He naturally asked how everything went, but I was too tired to answer so I fell asleep in Rutherfor's arms.

###

The next morning, I woke up in the second hotel bed around noon. Neither Uran or Rutherfor were present, except for Roger who was standing on top of me holding a small knife to my throat. I was about to scream, but Hoshi flew right from the bedside table instead and hovered right in front of Roger with his points slightly expanded looking sharper than usual.

" _I'm not here to hurt your Shaman, Shikigami_ ," Roger said calmly. " _I just want to talk. Meet me in the hotel lobby downstairs in five minutes._ "

Then Roger jumped off me and climbed in through an air vent near the floor which had been forced open from the inside. Though I was extremely afraid, I still got out of bed with Hoshi flying into my pocket. I forced him to stay in resting mode as I left the hotel room and went down into the lobby where Annabelle was sitting holding Roger.

"I didn't think you would show up," Annabelle remarked snidely. "You're a lot more braver than I expected, based on how things went down last night."

Hiding my fear, I frowned and said, "What do you want?"

"Like I said, to talk," Annabelle insisted as she sat up from her chair. "But also to inform you of another match that's coming up soon."

"Okay, but what does it got to do with me?"

"Unlike the other matches in the Preliminary Round which are one-on-one fights, this one is unusual," Annabelle began as she walked out through the hotel doors forcing me to follow. "Because of the unique power these two Shamans have, they've requested that they both participate in the fights together. Now from the Patch's perspective, it would seem unfair for one Shaman to fight against these two in a two-on-one battle. So they're making an exception by having any matches with these two Shamans be two-on-two, meaning they'll be facing against two randomly picked Shamans instead of one and we're the first ones to be chosen."

"No way!" I checked my Pager, and sure enough it said, 'Shizu Rakugaki and Annabelle Lee: your combined match with Maju and Mint Mendoza will take place at the Showa Memorial Park three weeks from now at 5 PM.'

Just then, Uran and Rutherfor showed up and basically confirmed what Annabelle told me based on what they heard from Goldva. As for why Annabelle knew about the upcoming match before me, it was because she had overheard two Patch Officiants talking about the Mendozas just as they were passing by the British Embassy in the body of Roger the doll.

"They said the Mendozas are very powerful Shamans with the ability to control the Gods themselves," Annabelle stated, and turned to Rutherfor. "Is this true?"

"Yes," Rutherfor nodded. "Uran will go into more detail once you start training with him."

"Training?" Annabelle cringed in response. "I spent _four_ years training in Tibet! I don't need more of it."

"Then how do you plan to fight two shamans that can control Gods with a soul-possessed doll?" Uran asked. When Annabelle didn't answer, he turned to me. "Shizu's your best shot at winning, because she's an Onmyoji."

"Yes, I know that, but all she can do is summon one paper star," Annabelle pointed. "How is that going to help me?"

"Hoshi is _not_ a paper star!" I snapped, feeling like I was being ignored. "He's a Shikigami; a nature spirit that I can control."

"Exactly," Uran concurred, and looked back at Annabelle. "You see, there are certain spirits that are more powerful than others. The God Spirits are the strongest, with Nature Spirits being the second-highest, while Human Spirits are generally the weakest."

"So you're saying I'm weak?" Taken aback, Annabelle ran off before anyone could stop her.

"You could have phrased that a little more differently," Rutherfor suggested, making Uran look down in embarrassment. "I'll try talking to her later when she's cooled down."

Then Rutherfor left, so Uran and I went back into the hotel. I explained to him what happened this morning, and he apologized for leaving me unguarded.

"It's not your job to guard me," I reminded him. "You're just supposed to teach me what I should have learned years ago."

"There's no point in blaming yourself, or your parents for that matter," Uran said, putting a big hand on my tiny shoulder. "You won against Annabelle, which is an accomplishment in of itself, and now you need to grow stronger for the battles ahead."

Nodding in agreement, I put my hand against the pocket that held Hoshi.

To be continued…


	11. 11th Star: Disadvantages and Dreams

11th Star: Disadvantages and Dreams

A few days later, Annabelle showed up with Rutherfor at the park where I did my Shamanic training with Uran. Annabelle didn't seem happy to see me, so I avoided eye contact with her as we both stood in front of Uran who had his arms folded.

"Okay, so before we get started let me elaborate on spirit types," Uran began, holding up three fingers. "Depending on their power level and origin, spirits are divided into three classes: the first is Normal-Class, which consists of human ghosts, then Sacred-Class which are nature spirits or ghosts that have transcended beyond their original form, and God-Class which are the most powerful spirits in existence. Now in general, the God-Class spirits are more powerful than the Normal-Class ones with Sacred-Class spirits being somewhere in the middle. So what this means is that you two are at a significant disadvantage when it comes to the Mendozas."

"What kind of spirits do they control?" I asked. "I know they're Gods, but what kind?"

In response, Rutherfor leaned against the tree she was standing in front of near Annabelle and I. "All I know is they are both Basque in origin and can summon storms when combined together."

"Combined?" Annabelle raised an eyebrow. "Like they form into one being?"

"Something like that," Rutherfor concurred.

"Now when you said, 'Basque,' was that referring to an ethnicity?"

Nodding, Rutherfor explained. "The Basque are a group of people that live between France and Spain with their own unique language and culture. But for a long time, they were ignored and caught in the affairs of the countries they occupied forcing many of them to leave. They were often employed as sheepherders, but treated unfairly in most places."

"I see, so how are the Mendozas able to summon these Basque Gods?" Annabelle asked.

"I'm not allowed to say what Medium they use, but I can tell you that the Mendozas are Sorginak which is the Basque equivalent to witches."

Remembering what I learned in World History, my mind filled with images of women in black robes riding broomsticks or being burned alive.

###

With the training underway, it was pretty clear that while Annabelle was handy at holding various weapons so long as they were small and could sneak around quite easily her soul was nowhere near the same level as Hoshi. But even Hoshi wasn't that powerful as he could only fly expand his aura-like blades glow and sense other spirits. So once again, I contemplated trying to make more origami stars so they could be possessed by Shikigami spirits too but that childhood memory of the Ogre that I accidentally summoned kept me from actually doing it. As for Annabelle, she contemplated trying to find a better vessel for her soul yet her attempts at trying to possess other humans didn't work as their souls would automatically reject hers. Then by chance, she found a plastic doll at a toy store that looked similar to Roger in that it had a blue suit and grey trousers as well as close-cut brown hair.

"This is perfect," she muttered, holding the new toy close to Roger. "It looks just like Daddy."

"Daddy?" I looked down at Roger, then at Annabelle. "So Roger is supposed to be your father?"

"Well, not intentionally," Annabelle admitted. "I made it for him as a welcome-home present, but he never came and so I took it with me to Tibet."

"And I take it he wasn't there?"

Annabelle shook her head. "The monks said he mastered the Pho Ba Ritual while he was with them, and then he left causing them to assume he had returned home. But when I told him he didn't, they were naturally baffled. So my father's teacher, Guru Tashi, decided to teach me the Pho Ba Ritual in order to help me find my father in case he did transfer himself into another body which I would be able to recognize by 'the glow of his aura' according to Tashi."

"But why would your father leave you? That seems…cruel."

"Well, I suppose I can't blame him," Annabelle shrugged. "My mother died when I was very young, but I know he loved her very much because he wouldn't stop talking about her. And that's when he started studying the Pho Ba Ritual, thinking she had reincarnated into another body, and he would use it to find her and be with her in a new form so they could 'start over'. That's at least what Tashi told me based on what my father told him about why he wanted to learn the Pho Ba Ritual so badly."

"And you want to enter this tournament to…bring your father back?"

"Yes," Annabelle nodded. "Assuming he's already transferred himself into a new body, I want to use the Great Spirit's power to bring him back into his original body and take him home so we can be together again."

A long pause followed as we made our way down the street back to the hotel where Uran was waiting for us.

"You know, you're the first person I've talked about this to," Annabelle admitted. "So…it only seems fair that you tell me why you're in the Shaman King Tournament."

"Oh, it's…nothing special," I said guiltily. "My parents are going to lose their house since they can't keep up with the mortgage payments, so I thought if I became Shaman King…I could make my father's poems sell better so my mother wouldn't have to work."

Annabelle stopped and made a sharp laugh. "Is that all? Do you have any idea how long they have till foreclosure?"

"No, I never got a good look at the notice," I confessed.

"Then depending on how long this tournament takes, they might end up losing their house sooner than you think."

While that thought did cross my mind, I chose not to say anything further as Annabelle and I moved onward. In a nearby alley, I thought I saw a pair of yellow eyes but then they quickly disappeared.

To be continued…


	12. 12th Star: Doubles

12th Star: Doubles

When Annabelle and I arrived at the Showa Memorial Park, we were both in awe. Due to the park's massive size, we had no idea where the Mendozas were planning to meet us. Then the Pagers told us to head for the Emperor Showa Memorial Museum. It was a tall cement building with revolving glass doors and dozens of people going in and out. While I was heading inside, I accidentally bumped into someone. He was a lot taller than me, wearing a white coat that covered him from head to toe, and a matching hat. Bits of blond hair were sticking out, and there were obvious dark bags under his eyes.

" _Entschuldigung_ ," he said, nodding politely while carrying a large black briefcase with him.

As he walked away, I wondered out loud. "What did he say?"

"'Pardon me,' I think," Annabelle said, standing next to me.

"In what language?" I asked.

"German," Annabelle replied. "I studied a bit of it back home."

"I see." Once the man disappeared, I let out an involuntary shutter before saying, "Do you have anyone else, like a nanny or something?"

Annabelle shook her head. "Not really…just the servants, and I insisted that they not come on this trip to Tokyo with me."

"But what if you need to contact someone in case of an emergency?"

"That's what Rutherfor is for, assuming the Patch wouldn't dare let contending Shamans get killed during matches."

"I'm not sure about that," I said doubtfully. "I mean, you tried to kill me and Rutherfor didn't show up to stop you."

Taken aback, Annabelle insisted, "I was only trying to scare you, not kill you! And if I did want to kill you, you'd already be dead by now."

Thinking back to Roger standing over me with a knife, I chose not to say anything more. Once we were inside the museum, Annabelle and I immediately noticed two children that were staring at a picture of Emperor Showa himself. Their skin was a dark tan and they both wore black clothing. While the girl wore a buttoned sweater and skirt, the boy wore a suit jacket and shorts. Long black stockings covered their knees with matching shoes. When they noticed us, I saw that the girl's dark hair was tied into a ponytail while the boy's matching hair was close-cut while their eyes were coal-black.

"You must be Shizu Rakugaki," the girl said, staring at me.

"And you're Annabelle Lee," the boy responded, looking at Annabelle who seemed surprised.

"How do you know our names?" Annabelle asked.

"Beltza told us," the boy and girl said in unison.

"Who's Beltza?" I said, looking around for someone.

"She's our protector," the girl answered.

"And our teacher," the boy added.

Just then, a sudden yowl drew my attention to the revolving doors. Near them, a black cat was rubbing its paw against the window which had yellow eyes. It was then that I realized they were the same yellow eyes that stared back at me in the alley several days ago.

"Is that…your cat?" I pointed to the black cat, causing the boy and girl to frown.

"She is no cat," the girl insisted.

"She is Beltza," the boy claimed.

"I see you've met Maju and Mint Mendoza," Rutherfor abruptly said, approaching the four of us from a different corner of the museum.

"How long have you been here?" I asked.

"Only a couple hours," Rutherfor replied. "Now let's head for where the match will take place."

"But I thought this was it," I claimed, showing the Oracle Pager.

This time, though, the Pager said, 'Rendezvous point: Emperor Showa Memorial Museum. Actual fight will take place at the fountain in Showa Memorial Park.'

"Seems you misread the text," the girl observed snidely.

"It would seem so, Mint," the boy replied.

"Now let us go to this fountain, Maju," the girl Mint insisted. "We don't want to keep our opponents waiting."

The boy Maju nodded and followed his sister toward the revolving doors while me Annabelle and Rutherfor followed. Once outside, the cat called Beltza immediately paced alongside the Mendoza siblings meowing at them in the process. They seemed to ignore her at first, but occasionally they leaned down a little like they were listening to what Beltza had to say which neither me or Annabelle could understand. As the park emptied, we approached a large fountain showing several people standing with their hands held out as birds flew from them.

"This is such a lovely fountain," Mint said, turning to her brother. "Would you agree, Maju?"

"Indeed, Mint," Maju nodded.

"Well, since it's almost time for the match to start, I'll be over here," Rutherfor said, transforming into her Grey Saucer Oversoul and flying off.

For a moment, I worried someone might see her but since the sky was dark it seemed like the best cover for her. While Annabelle held up the new Roger doll, which now carried a piece of her own hair that she took from the previous one, the Mendozas took out two pieces of a metal talisman with one half depicting the gray silhouette of a man and the other a woman. Once the countdown started, I put my hand against the pocket which held Hoshi feeling it suddenly become lighter.

As the Pagers said, 'Begin' Hoshi flew out of my pocket while Annabelle made a prayer-sign with her hands and muttered, " _Nirmanakaya!_ "

The bright orb I saw before leapt out of Annabelle's body (which became limp) as the orb went into the new Roger doll. As it moved, though more stiffly than before, the Mendozas closed their eyes and held their talisman pieces up to the sky.

"Mari, Goddess of the Basque people…" Mint uttered, as the gray silhouetted woman on her talisman appeared behind her.

"And her consort, Sugaar…" Maju said, as the silhouetted man depicted on his talisman appeared parallel to the woman.

"Join together as one so we may defeat our foes!" As Maju and Mint spoke, the man and woman figures behind them held hands causing a bright flash of light that seemed almost like a flash of lightning which blinded me and Roger 2.0 briefly.

Once the light subsided, a colossal figure towered above the fountain. It was the woman, only now she had long red hair and wore a matching red medieval-style dress surrounded by a large green dragon that roared down at me and Roger.

To be continued…


	13. 13th Star: The Tail of a Dragon

13th Star: The Tail of a Dragon

As the dragon continued to roar, I glanced to my right and saw that Roger had disappeared while Annabelle's body was still lying on the ground.

"It looks like your teammate turned chicken," Mint sneered.

"Which means we only have you to eliminate," Maju stated, and then shouted, "Sugaar, attack!"

This time, the dragon uncoiled itself from the woman and lunged straight toward me. In response, Hoshi spun himself sideways and grazed the dragon's cheek. It barely left a dent as the sound of scraping metal followed the impact. However, this did irritate the dragon to go flying after Hoshi who lured it away from the fountain.

"If you thought luring Sugaar away would leave Mari vulnerable, then think again!" Just as Mint raised her hand, a loud echoing scream made us freeze.

Behind the Mendozas, the large woman was fidgeting around and trying to grab something small yet the thing kept moving out from her grasp.

"Mari, what are you doing?" Mint demanded.

" **There's something crawling up my body,** " the woman said in a bellowing but nervous tone. " **And I can't seem to get it off!** "

"Then conjure up a storm to blow the thing away!" Mint ordered.

" _I wouldn't do that if I were you!_ " Annabelle's voice proclaimed as Roger reached the base of Mari's neck and held a long ceremonial blade against it. " _One false move, and I'll slice your precious Goddess' neck open!_ "

Mint gasped. "You wouldn't dare!"

" _Oh, yes I will,_ " Roger insisted, pressing the blade closer to Mari's skin.

" **You cannot harm me,** " Mari growled, her red hair standing on edge. " **I am a Goddess! My worshippers pray to me though I am not real, and it is their belief in the untrue which gives me strength! So if you believe I am real, then that blade will not hurt me!** "

While Roger hesitated, another loud cry caught me and the Mendozas' attention. Several feet away, the dragon was whimpering in midair while a bright star danced merrily around it. I recognized the star as Hoshi, as I then noticed the tip of the dragon's tail was missing.

"How can that be?" Maju exclaimed, his eyes widening at the sight. "What could have given away that the tip of Sugaar's tail was his weakness to a mere Shikigami?"

"Actually, I didn't know that beforehand," I admitted, causing Maju and Mint to stare at me. "And neither did Hoshi. I just ordered him to cut every part of Sugaar that he could, and he just found the weakness by accident."

Just then, the dragon Sugaar roared in anger and started to chase Hoshi again back towards Mari.

"Hurry, Annabelle!" I said to Roger. "Do it now!"

Closing its gray eyes, Roger plunged the ceremonial blade into Mari's throat. She chocked in response and started to lose her balance as Roger leaped into the air. Fortunately, he landed on Hoshi's back as he flew back down to me. I then turned to run away from Sugaar as he lowered himself and made straight dive down to the ground. Ducking over a nearby hill, there was a groundbreaking shake causing me to lose balance and roll down the hill while Hoshi and Roger followed me. Just then, Beltza the black cat ran towards me and started clawing at my face. I tried to push her off, but was feeling weaker the more I struggled due to the amount of Mana I used to keep Hoshi in the air let alone constantly attack Sugaar. But then Beltza was lifted into the air suddenly, followed by the appearance of Rutherfor who still looked like a Grey Alien standing on top of a saucer.

"Other Shamans are _not_ allowed to interfere in a Shaman fight," Rutherfor said coldly. "This includes ones that use cats as Oversouls. So therefore, the Mendozas must pay the penalty by forfeiting the match."

"Are you serious?" Maju shouted, examining Sugaar who had crashed into the sidewalk near the fountain and was looking exhausted while Mint was tending to Mari who was now bleeding from the knife wound Roger inflicted earlier.

"We had no idea Beltza was planning to attack Shizu," Mint claimed. "Honest!"

"Oh, really? Then what was she telling you earlier?" Rutherfor asked.

"She was…um, wishing us luck on our match," said Mint, though she sounded hesitant.

"That sounds like a lie," Rutherfor observed. "But regardless, she broke the rules and since she's your responsibility that means it's technically your fault. Plus, your Spirits seem too incapacitated at the moment to continue fighting."

Looking at Sugaar and Mari, who were indeed weak and dying, Maju and Mint sighed before holding up their talisman pieces. Together, they chanted, "Mari and Sugaar, we thank you for your help in this fight. But now it is time to return to your true homes for a swift recovery!"

Then in a flash, the woman and dragon became their gray silhouettes once more and vanished into the talisman pieces. Meanwhile, I passed out on the grass causing Hoshi to drop Roger by accident forcing Annabelle's spirit to leave his body and return to her own.

###

The following morning, I noticed my Oracle Pager had the word 'Victory!' with me and Annabelle's names. When I wondered where Annabelle was, Uran told me she had left earlier saying that she needed to prepare for her next match and had no further use for my alliance.

"You know, as much as I'm glad she's gone…I strangely miss her," I said, causing Uran to give me a weird look.

"Why is that?" He asked.

"Well, even though she tried to kill me and we didn't always agree on stuff…I thought maybe with time and understanding we could become friends," I said, blushing a little.

"There are no friends on the battlefield, only fighters and schemers," Rutherfor interrupted.

"When you say, 'schemers', you mean the Mendozas?" When Rutherfor nodded, I said, "So you knew Beltza was a Shaman all along?"

"Not initially, but the way she seemed to converse with the Mendozas through her meowing and the fact that she happened to be right where you were when Sugaar attacked seemed a little suspicious to me," Rutherfor answered. "But then I did some research, and it turns out Beltza was a Sorginak who could transform herself into a cat but for some reason she's now stuck in cat-form with no way of becoming human again."

"Except for the Great Spirit," I realized. "That's why the Mendozas entered the Shaman King Tournament, right?"

Again, Rutherfor nodded.

To be continued…


	14. 14th Star: Showdown at the Steakhouse

14th Star: Showdown at the Steakhouse

Two days later, my Oracle Pager told me that I had my third and final match in the Preliminary Round coming up in about a week. My opponent this time was a Shaman named Lou Reins, who Uran seemed to know.

"He's from a family of ranchers that live near where my mother and I used to be," Uran explained, though he seemed a bit misty-eyed.

"Was she Patch?" I asked cautiously.

Uran nodded. "Her name was Radi. From what I remember, she was quite beautiful. Then when my father left, she died of a broken heart."

"I'm so sorry."

"It was a long time ago, so I'm not as upset about it anymore. After Big Bear became my Guardian Spirit, I traveled to the Patch Tribe's home and they took me in despite their initial reluctance to do so."

"Because of your heritage?"

"My father was…not Patch. He was from a different tribe who wanted to learn the secrets of the Patch for himself, and thought my mother could tell him everything. But when she refused to talk, he wanted nothing to do with her."

Behind Uran, the white animal phantom known as Big Bear put a paw on Uran's shoulder. Then after that, Uran took me to our usual training spot without saying another word. When we got there, though, he folded his arms in the usual serious manner.

"Now I don't know what type of Shaman Lou Reins is, though I suspect his Guardian Spirit has something to do with the unmarked burial ground on his family's land," Uran said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"When I was little, my mother was summoned by the Reins family to investigate some unusual activity that was going on in the fields behind their house which was spooking the horses and making the cattle sick. So my mother looked into it and supposedly she allowed the ghost that was haunting those fields to rest, but if the family's son is participating in the Shaman King Tournament…he must have found a way to bring back the ghost and tame it."

"Any idea what class this ghost was?"

"My mother didn't talk about it," Uran replied, shaking his head. "She said that speaking the ghost's name might weaken the seal she had placed over its unmarked grave."

"I see, so how am I supposed to train in preparation for a ghost I don't know the nature of?"

"I'm not sure. I asked Rutherfor for some more information, but she's being punished by Chief Goldva for giving you and Annabelle too many hints about your opponents."

"Oh."

"There was no way you could've known," Uran assured, seeing me looking down at my feet. "Besides, she clearly wanted to help you considering how many hints she dropped."

Though her blank emotionless stare came into my head, I thought about how concerned she look when she helped me up after interfering with Uran's Oversoul Test. With that in mind, my respect for her grew which motivated me into training harder with Hoshi than ever before.

###

As the day of the fight arrived, I found myself standing in front of a steakhouse in the Rappongi district of Tokyo. There were floods of people and shops everywhere, which made me feel dizzy as a result. But seeing it was two hours until the steakhouse closed for the night, as well as when the Shaman Fight with Lou would actually start, I reluctantly entered the restaurant. Inside, several people sat around square-shaped grills which each had their own chef stationed at them. The amount of noise was deafening as not only were people talking but also the chefs clicked and clacked their utensils on the grill as they cooked. Looking for a seat, my eyes fell on a foreign-looking boy.

He had short blond hair and bright blue eyes, while his clothes consisted of a yellow plaid shirt blue jeans a white neckerchief and a matching wide-brimmed hat. Also, he had brown leather boots on which completed his cowboy-style getup as he was scarfing down a large steak. Then I noticed there were several plates stacked next to him, which astounded the nearby customers as well as the chef who was currently preparing a fresh steak on his grill. Turning away in disgust, I sat down at a grill that was further away from the boy. When the chef asked me what I wanted, I told him I wanted fried rice with no additional toppings. He looked at me quizzically, but then followed the order and shoveled some pre-prepared fried rice into a bowl. As I ate, people were starting to leave until me and the boy were the only ones left. So the boy got up and started to head towards a back door that was partially visible.

His eyes made contact with mine, and then he made a gesture with his head indicating that I should follow him. At first, I didn't move until a waiter told me the steakhouse was closing soon. So I left some money at my place and got up to follow the boy. We went through the back door in a single file line and emerged into a dark alleyway that was filled with trash cans.

"So you're Shizu Rakugaki, right?" The boy asked in an American accent that had a slight drawl to it. He was facing away from me as he spoke.

"Um, yes," I answered. "And you're Lou Reins?"

"Correct," the boy nodded, and turned to face me. He then beamed and held out his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet ya!"

Hesitantly, I shook Lou's hand. "Aren't you concerned about how I knew who you were?"

"Nah," Lou shrugged. "I figured you were smart enough to figure that out. Besides, I didn't know who you were until the steakhouse was about to close and we were the only people left."

"I see."

"Did you try the steak?"

"No."

"Darn! It's the best steak I've ever had apart from the ones my ma makes."

"Well, it was pretty expensive. So I couldn't afford it."

"You could've given me a holler and I could have bought one for you."

"Oh, that's…very thoughtful, but—

Just then, my Oracle Pager went off forcing me to look at it. Lou did the same, revealing his Oracle Pager had yellow straps on it.

"Looks like the showdown's on," Lou noted, watching as the letters on his Pager went from 'Shaman Fight' to the three-second countdown. "May the best Shaman win!"

To be continued…


	15. 15th Star: Over in a Second

15th Star: Over in a Second

When the Pagers said, 'Begin,' Hoshi flew out of my vest pocket while Lou Reins held up a silver bullet that was attached to a chain around his neck.

"Bill Kidman!" Lou shouted.

Behind Lou, I saw the ghostly form of a tall-looking man appear wearing a cowboy hat that covered his eyes and leather chaps on his legs. The ghost then nodded and became a Spirit Flame which merged with Lou's bullet. There was a brief flash of light and in Lou's hands appeared a silver revolver which had the cowboy's face etched into it.

"This here's my Oversoul Six-Shooter," Lou announced, spinning the barrel of the revolver. "It fires special bullets that never miss their target, just like Bill Kidman."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"In life, Bill Kidman was a famous cowboy who once owned the ranch that my family lived on before he was shot to death."

"Lived on? You don't live on the ranch anymore?"

"Because of Kidman's ghost, the cattle my family raised got sick and died which ruined them financially. So we were forced to move to the city, where my pa got a desk job with the Department of Agriculture. But I always wanted to be a cowboy when I grew up, so this sudden change greatly upset me. Then as luck would have it, I found an old journal of my grandpa's which mentioned Kidman's name and that apparently summoned him to me."

 _So the seal Uran's mother created_ did _weaken_ , I thought.

"Anyway, to show his appreciation for being freed from the seal that kept him trapped within his unmarked grave, Kidman offered to help me win the Shaman King Tournament so I could become a true cowboy," Lou finished and pointed the Six-Shooter directly at me. "Now what's your story?"

In response, Hoshi flew right in front of me expanding his aura-like points.

"I'm an Onmyoji, from the Branch Family of the Asakuras who are the most powerful Japanese Shamans in the country," I said, trying to sound confident to hide my fear. "This is Hoshi, a Shikigami Spirit that possesses a paper star I made when I was a child."

As if he could see right through me, Lou asked in a mocking tone, "Are you scared?"

"Not at all!" I lied. "Hoshi can withstand just about anything. In fact, he was able to cut off the tail of a full-sized dragon with just his blades alone!"

"Is that so?" Releasing the revolver's safety lock, Lou grinned. "Let's see if he can handle this!"

Pulling the trigger, Lou shot the revolver. First, there was a blinding light from Hoshi. Then I heard the sound of paper being torn apart and then my vision blackened.

###

"Shizu."

My eyes fluttered open. I saw Lou standing over me with a bright light behind him. The walls were also white, which made it hard for me to see. When I tried to sit up, though, my left shoulder started aching causing me to look at it. To my surprise, it was wrapped in bandages.

"What happened?" I asked groggily. "Where's Hoshi?"

"Over there," Lou answered in a guilty tone.

To my right, there was a bedside table where the paper star that I had called Hoshi lay. There was a large hole in the center with the edges charred out and it wasn't moving.

"Hoshi?" I muttered, grabbing the paper star with my right hand.

Just then, Rutherfor appeared from behind some curtains to my left.

"Looks like you've woken up," she said. "What happened was that Lou shot a bullet through Hoshi's Medium, aka the paper star, which accidentally pierced your left shoulder and made you pass out from shock. Fortunately, I was nearby so I brought you to a hospital where a doctor quickly treated your wound. He said it will take several weeks to heal, so try not to move your left arm around too much. With that said, both you and Lou have passed the Preliminary Round and will be moving onto the Second Round as soon as everything's set up for it."

Lou and I said nothing in response. While I avoided Lou's gaze, Rutherfor ushered Lou out of the room. After that, Uran showed up.

"Hey, I'm sorry about what happened to Hoshi," he apologized.

"It's not your fault," I replied.

After a pause, Uran said, "He's probably not dead. Spirits in general can't be killed. They can only be sent back to the Spirit World."

"Then how do I summon Hoshi again?"

"I'm not familiar with Onmyoji magic, so I don't know."

Clutching the paper star tightly, I asked, "Is there any chance that you could…help me find the Asakura family?"

Uran's eyes widened. "But given your heritage—

"I don't care! The Asakura Branch Family may have aided Hao in the past, but I see no reason why the Main Family should hold anything against me or my mother."

"You would be surprised at how long grudges can last."

"Well, if you're not going to help me, then I'll find someone who will."

Using what little strength I had, I climbed out of bed. Unfortunately, my left arm felt heavier than usual causing me to lose balance. Fortunately, Uran caught me. He then propped me up on the bed and then used some leftover bandages that were lying around to create a makeshift sling for my arm.

"You're not going alone," Uran stated, placing my arm into the sling. "I may not be a Patch Official, nor will I ever be, but as your Shamanic teacher it's my duty to keep you safe and help you in any way I can. So let's get out of here and find the Asakura family together."

Smiling, I hugged Uran around the waist with my right arm. Gently, he hugged me back. Then I felt something heavier pressing against my back, and figured it was Big Bear. But in that midst, there was a much smaller thing pressing against my chest though I could see nothing there.

Ignoring it, I broke from Uran's embrace as he helped me off the bed and over to a little changing area that was surrounded by curtains. There, a fresh set of clothes had been laid out consisting of a denim jacket a white T-shirt with a blue star on the front, matching denim jeans, and gray hiking boots. Guessing that Rutherfor bought them for me, I tediously put them on with Uran helping put my arm into the sling once I got my T-shirt and jacket on. From there, we left the hospital room and made our way into the foyer where a balding man in clerical robes was standing with a bible in his hand.

"Ah, there you are, child," he said to me.

"Pastor Hogarth!" I exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"To take you home, of course."

"What?"

To be continued…


	16. 16th Star: A Priest's Intervention

16th Star: A Priest's Intervention

"Your mother is greatly worried about you," Pastor Hogarth stated calmly. "And so is your father. So why don't you come home and make amends to them?"

I didn't move. "I can't. Not until I've won the Shaman King Tournament and made my father's poems sell better so we don't lose our house."

Hogarth chuckled. "My dear child, they're not going to lose their house anytime soon."

"How so? I saw the papers."

"But did you read them?"

"No."

"According to your mother, the foreclosure can be stopped if she can reinstate the mortgage in three months' time," Hogarth explained. "I made an offer to help her catch up on the payments she missed, so she doesn't have to lose the house for good."

"With what?" Uran asked. "Catholic priests don't earn money."

"That is true, but I accept donations from parishioners and they are quite generous in their offerings," replied Hogarth, frowning at Uran. "Are you one of those Patch Officiants?"

Uran gave Hogarth a suspicious look. "What makes you think that?"

"I saw someone that looked similar to you leave the hospital with a young boy not too long ago."

"You mean Rutherfor?" I said.

"Yes," Hogarth nodded. "She was one of the Patch Officiants I recognized from the ceremony they held to congratulate the winners of the Preliminary Round which occurred earlier this evening."

"Then how could you have been there? Unless…" As I recalled what Rutherfor and Uran suspected of Hogarth, a nurse suddenly appeared behind the desk in the foyer.

"What's going on here?" The nurse demanded groggily. "If you guys are done chatting, I'd like to help the people sitting in the foyer."

Looking into the foyer, I noticed they were all knocked out with blank eyes pale skin and black crosses marked on their foreheads. The only exceptions to this were the children who slept.

"Only God can save them now," Hogarth said. "And the same can be said for you."

Before the nurse could react, Hogarth placed his hand upon her forehead and muttered something under his breath as he did so. As he spoke, her eyes became white and her skin became paler. Once Hogarth finished muttering, he let the nurse go as she fell to the floor now baring the same black cross on her forehead.

"So you really are an Exorcist," Uran stated as his leather braces with the bear claws glowed.

"That is my official title, though I prefer the term 'Miracle Worker' to describe my line of work," Hogarth said, turning to face Uran.

Quickly, I noticed he was holding a set of black rosary beads with blood-red letters on the which I didn't recognize.

"Did you seal away their souls, just like you sealed away my powers when I was younger?" I guessed out loud.

Hogarth paused for a moment. "I sealed away what was good in them into my beads so that the demons who possess my Guardian Spirit may take over their bodies."

As he spoke, the fallen bodies including the nurse's suddenly rose in unison. Their eyes had gone from milky white to ink black and their mouths started oozing black fluids.

"Now I don't want to have to hurt anyone," Hogarth assured. "But if you refuse to come with me, Shizu Rakugaki, I may have to take you by force. I didn't join the Shaman Fight in Tokyo for nothing!"

While Uran created his gauntlet-shaped Oversoul with Big Bear, I stood frozen with fear. I didn't have Hoshi to protect me anymore, and yet if what Hogarth said was true then I was no longer obligated to participate in the Shaman King Tournament. Then Hogarth suddenly started floating much to his surprise. Behind him, Rutherfor appeared in her Grey Saucer Oversoul just outside the hospital entrance.

"I'm not sure what you're trying to accomplish, Pastor Hogarth, but it looks like you're threatening Shizu based on Uran's reaction," Rutherfor said, looking at Uran for confirmation.

"He's trying to force Shizu to come home to her parents," Uran answered. "And he claims that he'll help Shizu's parents pay off their debts so they don't lose their house."

"And what's wrong with that?" Rutherfor asked, causing Uran to groan.

"Look around you! These people have been drained of their souls and turned into demon-possessed zombies, so I don't feel inclined to trust him," Uran insisted, and turned to me. "Besides, Shizu should be the one to decide where she wants to go and not Hogarth!"

With everyone staring at me, I said, "Hogarth, I really appreciate what you're willing to do for my family…but because I've come so far in the Tournament despite this last match costing me my Guardian Spirit's Medium I don't feel ready to return home just yet. Because this is all so new to me, and part of my heritage, I want to continue exploring the Shaman world more through this Tournament despite the danger and unknown elements in it. In fact, I'm planning to visit the Asakura family to improve my skills as an Onmyoji and no one is going to stop me from seeing them!"

While Uran nodded in approval, Hogarth frowned. "Foolish, insolent child! You—

"Shut up." Rutherfor waved her hand and froze Hogarth midair to where his mouth wasn't moving. "He'll be like this for two minutes before I unfreeze him and make him release the souls he's taken, so I suggest you two should leave now."

Without questioning her, Uran and I ran toward the front door. The demon-possessed people tried to follow us, but Rutherfor closed the door behind us which prevented them from getting out. Then Uran and I made our way to a nearby train station and got on the train that was conveniently pulled in.

"Where are we going?" I asked Uran as the train started to move.

"Right here," Uran said, pointing at a map. "This place came up when I was researching your family before I tested you."

On the map, I saw a place called 'Funbari Hill' and then nearby there was a tiny area with a symbol I recognized as being a hot spring.

To be continued…


	17. 17th Star: Family Matters

17th Star: Family Matters

Standing in front of a large-looking house, Uran knocked on the door while I stood behind him. It was the evening of the following day after we left the hospital, as I had spent the day trying to summon Hoshi again using a new origami star I bought at a crafting store but it didn't work. In a few moments, the screen door slid open and we were greeted by a young girl about my age. She had medium length sand-blonde hair sticking out from a red bandana and wore a black dress with rosary beads that were blue and red-strapped sandals.

"What do you want?" She snapped, glaring at Uran. "Are you a Patch Officiant?"

"Um no," Uran answered.

"Then why are you here?" The girl demanded.

It was then that I recognized her from the classroom I saw where she stood in front of a dark-haired boy with headphones who was sitting on an invisible chair.

"Is there an Asakura living here?" I asked, causing the girl to glare at me instead of Uran.

"Who wants to know?" she asked.

"I'm…Shizu Rakugaki," I began. "My mother is Reiko Asakura, from the Branch Family."

The girl's eyes widened. "You're not here to hurt Yoh, are you?"

"I gave her a confused look. "Yoh?"

"He's the heir to the Asakura Main Family and my future husband!" The girl proclaimed.

"Husband?" Uran exclaimed. "You're engaged?"

"That's right," the girl confirmed. "It was arranged by his family to keep the Shamanic bloodline strong, since I'm a powerful Shaman and he comes from a long line of great Shamans. Now regarding my original question: do you intend to hurt Yoh in any way?"

"No," I shook my head. "I actually wanted to speak with him."

"About what?"

"Where his family house is."

This time, the girl gave me a suspicious look. "Why do you want to know that?"

"Because I need their help," I explained. "My Spirit's Medium got damaged during a fight in the Preliminary Round and—

"What Class is your Spirit?" The girl abruptly said.

"A Shikigami."

"How powerful is it?"

"It's about the size of my hand, can fly, and expand its sharp points."

"Its points?"

"It possessed an origami star I made when I was younger."

"Yet you don't know how to fix your Medium?"

"It's a long story, and I don't have time to explain."

The girl didn't budge. "If you can't tell me the full truth, then I can't help you."

Sighing, I reluctantly told the girl about the incident from my childhood where I summoned an Ogre that almost got out of control and Pastor Hogarth sealing my power away to when I lost my cross and fought Uran then finally I ended on the battle between me and Lou Reins. The girl listened attentively and occasionally asked questions which I answered promptly. When I was done, she gripped the side of the doorway tightly.

"While your story does sound convincing, Shizu Rakugaki, I'm afraid you've come at a bad time to ask Yoh for help."

"Why?" I asked.

"He's not here, and I think I know where he went," she answered, gripping the doorway tighter.

"Which is?"

"China. An acquaintance of his named Tao Ren went there to settle things with his father, but then his Guardian Ghost came today claiming Ren was in trouble. I told Yoh that it would be too dangerous to get involved, since the Tao family are powerful Chinese Shamans, but he left earlier this evening with his friends presumably to rescue Ren."

"Any idea when they'll be back?"

In response, the girl shook her head.

Feeling distraught, I hid it with a fake smile. "Well, if Yoh does come back, tell him I dropped by. Let's go, Uran."

Turning away, I heard the girl run back inside. Then I felt something light hit my head, causing me to catch it mid-fall. It was a map showing a series of roads leading to a circle on a raised plateau in the countryside.

"That's where you'll find the Asakura House," the girl said behind me. "If you meet Yohmei, tell I sent you there. He'll trust you more quickly that way."

"Thanks," I smiled.

The girl looked away. "Just bring back the map when you get back to Tokyo, okay?"

"I will." Just as I was about to walk away, I looked back at the girl. "By the way, I didn't catch your name."

"It's Anna. Anna Kyōyama, and I'll be Queen of the Shaman World before you know it!"

"Then I won't disappoint you," I said back, and walked off with Uran trailing behind.

###

By the time Uran and I reached the Asakura House, it was two days later at noon. At the front of the house, we were greeted by a woman who almost looked like my mother except her hair was black instead of blue and she wore the robes of a Miko Priestess.

"Can I help you?" she asked. Her voice was very soothing and soft.

"I'm here to see Yohmei Asakura," I said nervously. "My name is Shizu Rakugaki."

The woman made a short gasp. "You're Reiko's daughter, aren't you?"

"Yes," I responded. "How did you—

"You look so much like her…when she was younger, of course," the woman answered. "I'm Keiko Asakura, your mother's first cousin. It's so good to finally meet you."

With that, she shook my hand which made me feel better. Then she looked at Uran and was puzzled. "And you are?"

"Uran," he said. "I'm a member of the Patch tribe, but not an Officiant for the Shaman King Tournament. So instead, I was assigned to be Shizu's Shamanic teacher."

"I see," Keiko said and turned back to me. "What is it that you wanted to see my father about?"

From my jean pocket, I pulled out the paper star with the bullet hole in it. "I just passed the Preliminary Round of the Shaman King Tournament, but my Spirit's Medium got damaged and I don't know how to fix it."

"Was your Spirit a Shikigami, by chance?" Keiko asked.

Seeing my shocked look, Keiko gave me a guilty smile.

"Sorry if that surprised you," Keiko apologized. "Not long ago, the Gods told me a Shaman from the Branch Family who can summon Shikigami would seek my father's help."

"So he knows?" When Keiko nodded, I said. "Can I see him?"

"I'm afraid he's worn out at the moment," Keiko stated. "He just got done teaching a new Shaman how to use their Oversoul, and isn't up for taking new pupils."

"But I need to bring Hoshi back before the Second Round of the Tournament starts," I insisted. "I don't know how to create a new Oversoul for Hoshi, and Uran can't help me since he's unfamiliar with Onmyoji magic."

"Then maybe I can help," Keiko offered. "I may not be an Onmyoji, but if we go through the steps of how you made Hoshi in the first place…then perhaps we can find a way of bringing your little friend back."

Once again, I felt a small presence near me but this time it was on my shoulder. This presence lingered as I followed Keiko into the house while Uran stayed outside in case Rutherfor showed up to inform him of when the Second Round would start.

To be continued…


	18. 18th Star: A New Oversoul

18th Star: A New Oversoul

In a large room with matted flooring made of bamboo and a paper lantern hanging overhead, I sat with my knees tucked underneath looking down at an assortment of various paper sheets while Keiko stood nearby.

"Now when you made the paper star that would become Hoshi, what went through your mind in terms of picking the paper you wanted?" Keiko asked.

"I don't know," I shrugged. "I just…picked the paper that was closest to me, which happened to be notebook paper."

"Then try to pick one of these pieces of paper without thinking," Keiko suggested. "And perhaps the Shikigami will guide you in turn."

Unsure of what she meant, I waved my hand over the paper sheets without looking at them. At first, nothing happened. Then when I closed my eyes, that small presence came again and it seemed to be guiding my finger towards one particular spot. Opening my eyes, I saw that my finger was pointing at a bright blue piece of origami paper.

"Very good," Keiko smiled. "Then what did you do?"

Recalling back, I said, "Well, I folded the paper into a star and wrote Hoshi's name in Kanji on the front. After that, the Oversoul was born."

"Do you know how to fold an origami star?"

"Sort of. It's been a long time since I did it."

Taking the blue origami paper, I attempted to fold it with one hand. When it didn't work I took my bandaged arm out of its sling and tried again. Despite the enormous amount of pain I was feeling in my shoulder, I worked through it by closing my eyes and allowing the small presence to guide my hands in the process of folding the paper star. By the time I was done, it looked exactly like the old one in terms of shape.

"Are you doing all right?" Keiko said, looking concerned.

"I'm fine," I responded, gritting my teeth.

"So what did you use to write Hoshi's name?"

"A pencil."

From a sliding cabinet, Keiko took out a small box and brought it over to me. Opening it with my good hand, I saw it was filled with a variety of writing utensils. So I waved my hand over it after closing my eyes, feeling not just the one small presence but several others. They guided my hand towards a set of different-colored pencils, which just so happened to match the pieces of paper including the one I just folded.

Then without thinking, I put the pencils down and proceeded to fold the other pieces of paper till they were just like the blue star. At this point, the pain in my shoulder was unbearable so I put my bandaged arm back in its sling. Next, I took the blue pencil and wrote Hoshi's name on the blue star doing the same procedure with the other stars which were: black, white, grey, brown, orange, and red. Instead of 'Hoshi,' though, the other stars had different names on them yet they were all written in Kanji. As the presences left me, my hand reached out instinctively.

"Hoshi," I recited, touching the blue star with the tips of my fingers.

Immediately, the familiar blue aura appeared around it.

"Ishi, Kori, Tetsu, Iwa, Dou, Netsu," I said as I touched the black, white, grey, brown, orange, and red stars which had similar colored auras appear over them as well.

When this happened, seven pairs of yellow eyes appeared on the front of each star which proceeded to hover right in front of me with Hoshi being the closest to my face.

"So, it was you," I realized. "You've been with me this whole time, even when your Medium was destroyed."

In response, Hoshi nodded happily.

"Are these your friends?" I asked, looking at the other floating stars.

While they nodded in turn, my head suddenly felt light and the room spun before me.

###

By the time I came to, Rutherfor was standing over me along with Uran and Keiko.

"Did I pass out?" I asked.

Keiko nodded. "It took years for my father to summon several Shikigami, let alone one, but you managed to do it easily despite losing consciousness from running out of Mana."

"Yeah, but I'm not sure how I did it," I admitted, looking at the seven paper stars that surrounded me including Hoshi.

"It was because of your injury," Uran said, glancing at my bandaged arm. "When a Shaman has a near-death experience, their Mana increases significantly."

As the pain in my shoulder returned, I used my good hand to get back up and collect the paper stars. After putting them in my inner jean-jacket pockets, which looked to be hand-sewn, Uran helped me to my feet.

"We should leave now," Rutherfor stated. "The Second Round will be starting soon, and we need to head back to Tokyo for that."

"All right." I nodded, and turned to Keiko. "Thank you so much. You were a great help."

Smiling, Keiko hugged me gently. "If you see my son, tell him I said, 'Hello.'"

"Sure," I promised.

"And the same goes for your mother," Keiko added.

"Okay."

After that, I left the Asakura House with Rutherfor levitating me and Uran in her Grey Saucer Oversoul. She flew us back to Tokyo, where I asked her to stop by Funbari Springs so I could drop off the map Anna lended to me. With that done, we proceeded to another location where several Preliminary Round winners were gathered along with the Patch Officiants. While Rutherfor left to join them, I lost track of Uran and found myself wandering through a large crowd of Shamans. Though I didn't see the boy with the headphones, which I now guessed was Yoh, Pastor Hogarth and the Mendoza twins were present. Avoiding them, I eventually found Annabelle and Lou who seemed to be arguing over something so I made my way over.

"Hi, guys," I waved, getting their attention.

"Shizu!" Annabelle exclaimed. "When did you get here?"

"Just now," I replied.

"Hey, Miss Rakugaki," Lou started, looking embarrassed. "About our Match—

"It's all right," I interrupted. "I forgive you."

"How could you do that?" Annabelle protested. "He shot you in the arm!"

"He was aiming for Hoshi, not me," I corrected. "So it was an accident. Right, Lou?"

Lou nodded. "That what I was trying to tell Miss Lee, before she started chewing my ear out."

Before Annabelle could respond, the Patch Officiants called the Shamans' attention.

To be continued…


	19. 19th Star: Vague Threats

19th Star: Vague Threats

 _I can't believe it_ , I thought after the Patch Officiants had finished their announcement. _The First-Half of the Second Round of the Shaman King Tournament…is going to be taking place in America, Lou's home country_.

While Lou seemed a bit happy about this, Annabelle wasn't thrilled.

"I've already had to spend enough money as is flying out here to Japan, and now we have to go all the way to America?" Annabelle huffed. "At least we don't have to pay for this flight."

"But we'll have to pay for other things, probably," Lou figured.

"What do you know, Cowboy?" Annabelle argued. "It's just going to be a straight flight to the Patch Village, right?"

"Sounds like it," I said. "But I wouldn't be surprised if there was some kind of catch, like we might have to do another tournament-style fight when we get there or something like that."

Frowning, Annabelle looked at my jean-jacket. "So I take it you found a way to fix your Shikigami's Medium."

"Yeah," I responded. "And I even managed to create a new Oversoul in the process."

"Sweet!" Lou exclaimed. "Can't wait to see it the next time we battle."

"Sure," I nodded. "And hopefully, you won't take me down in one shot."

"Is that a challenge?" Lou smirked. "Cuz Bill does like challenges."

At that moment, the ghost of the deceased cowboy appeared and he nodded in agreement.

"Not much of a talker, is he?" Annabelle remarked.

"It's what makes him kind of cool," Lou said admirably. "Like John Dayne or Clint Westwood."

"I don't know who those two are, nor do I care to," replied Annabelle. "I'm going to beat both of you and be Shaman Queen before you know it!"

As Annabelle stormed off, I remarked, "Sounds like something Anna would say."

"Who's Anna?" Lou asked.

"She's…engaged to one of the Shamans participating in the Tournament," I explained. "Who just so happens to be my cousin."

"Really?" Lou exclaimed, searching around the room of departing Shamans. "Any idea which Shaman he is?"

"I think he's that one," I said, pointing to a dark-haired boy with bright orange headphones.

When our eyes met in the crowd, he smiled and waved to me. Instinctually, I waved back at him as he left.

"Now I see why you two are related," Lou observed. "You're both too nice."

Flinching, I looked back at Lou. "Is that a bad thing?"

"Not really, but in this Tournament…you've gotta be strong if you don't want to end up dead."

"Why do you say that? It's not like anyone has died in this Tournament."

"I've heard otherwise," Lou said, pointing to a tall blond man with bags under his eyes which I recognized from the Showa museum. "For instance, that guy's a German Necromancer, meaning he can summon corpses. He killed his first opponent during the Preliminaries, and nearly took the life of his second opponent before a Patch Official interfered thus ending the match."

"Any idea who won?"

"The German did, but fortunately his second opponent survived. There's also been rumors of a really powerful Shaman who has his own group of followers and a strong Oversoul to boot."

"Do you know what he looks like?"

"Nah, I've never seen him myself. Only heard that his Oversoul consumes human souls to increase its Mana."

Just then, Uran found me so Lou left without saying another word.

###

The next morning, I packed up all my things from the hotel I had been staying at with Uran and Rutherfor. This included Hoshi and his friends, which I placed carefully in the inner pockets of my jean-jacket. With my bag in tow I followed Uran to the airport where all the Shamans were intermingling around a large jumbo jet airplane that resembled an eagle.

"Strange," I said in wonder. "I've never seen a plane like this before."

"That's because it's an Oversoul."

Looking to my right, I saw a boy standing nearby. His face looked exactly like the boy with the headphones', but his hair was longer and he wore a tan poncho that covered the upper-half of his body. His hands were covered by red gauntlets with white stars on the palms, and his baggy pants had kneepads with the same white stars on them.

"How do you know that?" I asked the long-haired boy cautiously.

In response, the long-haired boy smiled. "I know a great deal about what the Patch are capable of, Shizu Rakugaki."

I gasped. "How did you know my name?"

"I've made it my business to know the names of all the Shamans participating in this Tournament," the long-haired boy replied calmly. "Including those who might pose a threat to me, unless they chose to stay out of my way."

Unsure of what to say, I watched the long-haired boy leave. He was in turn followed by a tall man with a chin-beard carrying a Bible in his hand and a small child with dark skin frizzy hair and big eyes.

"There's something not right about that kid," Uran observed, once the three were out of earshot.

"Kind of an understatement if you ask me," Lou said, approaching me from behind along with Annabelle. "He was clearly threatening you."

"For once, I agree with you, Cowboy," Annabelle concurred.

"I have a name, you know," Lou grumbled, glaring at Annabelle. "It's Lou, L-O-U!"

"I'll call you whatever I want!" Annabelle insisted.

"Fine, then I'll call you…Dolly!"

This made Annabelle's face turn red. "You take that back!"

"Nu-uh," Lou shook his head. "From now on, you're Dolly cuz you have a thing for dolls and kind of look like a doll yourself."

Just then, a booming voice blared from the eagle-shaped plane telling all the Shamans to start boarding. This in turn silenced Annabelle as she stormed past Lou and I as we made our way to the plane as well. Onboard, the plane had hundreds of seats available but they got filled in pretty quickly so I ended up sharing seats with Lou and Annabelle despite her protests. Meanwhile, Uran went up to the front of the plane where the Patch Officiants were seated. Once everyone was accounted for, the enormous plane took off.

To be continued…


	20. 20th Star: Long Road Ahead

20th Star: Long Road Ahead

Several hours later, a voice boomed through the plane's intercom. " _Attention, everyone! We are now 1,200 kilometers from the Patch Village, and shall proceed to drop you off here. In three months' time, you must reach the Patch Village in order to participate in the Second-Half of the Second Round of the Shaman King Tournament. That is all._ "

Before anyone had time to protest, the floor beneath the plane vanished and all the Shamans including myself found themselves falling towards the ground. While my throat tightened with fear, I saw Annabelle screaming while Lou was too busy holding onto his hat. Then a giant creature appeared nearby, with antler-like horns and unusual patterns all over its body. In its hands knelt the long-haired boy and several others.

"Showoff," Lou muttered.

"What are we supposed to do?" Annabelle cried. "I'm too young to die!"

"I think we're supposed to use our Oversouls to break our fall," I figured, and pointed to a group of Shamans that were summoning what appeared to be different kinds of swords with one being a samurai sword while another was a sushi knife and a third was a blade made of ice that emerged from a snowboard.

"You've got to be joking!" Annabelle exclaimed. "I can't catch myself in Roger's body given how much my real body weighs!"

"And Bill's only good at shooting things, but not catching anything," Lou added.

 _Then I guess I have no choice_ , I thought and started to unzip the inner pockets of my jacket.

This caused me to fall down faster, which made Annabelle gasp while Lou looked concerned.

Once all the pockets were unzipped, I shouted, "Shikigami, help me and my friends!"

In response, Hoshi and all the other paper stars floated out of the pockets creating a circle around me Lou and Annabelle.

"Oversoul: Ryūsei-gun! Impact Mode!" I announced without thinking about the words I said.

Hoshi and his friends suddenly lit up and a multi-colored aura surrounded us. Then when we hit the ground, the aura protected us from the impact though we wound up landing on top of each other. Groaning, Annabelle Lou and I watched as the aura disintegrated while Hoshi and his friends continued to hover.

"Thanks, guys," I murmured.

"Could've picked a softer way to land, you know," Annabelle commented, getting off of Lou.

"Is this the new Oversoul you were talking about earlier?" Lou asked, helping me up as he got to his feet.

"Well, sort of," I responded. "My main one is still Hoshi, but these other stars are his friends."

In response, the other paper stars nodded.

"And what are their names?" Annabelle said, looking at the other stars suspiciously.

"They are Ishi, Kori, Tetsu, Iwa, Dou, and Netsu," I said, pointing to black white grey brown orange and red stars respectively.

"Wow," Lou remarked. "I had no idea Onmyoji were so powerful."

"But how come you never summoned them before?" Annabelle wondered.

"Because I was afraid to," I realized, thinking back to my childhood memory.

Lou and Annabelle looked at me quizzically. So reluctantly, I told them about the incident with the Ogre after I summoned Hoshi and his friends back into my pockets.

"Gosh, I'm so sorry that happened to you," Lou said nervously.

"And you said your family ancestor could summon Ogres too?" When I nodded, Annabelle responded, "Maybe that's where you got that ability from."

"Actually, it's not unique to the Asakuras," I corrected. "On my way to the Asakura House to fix Hoshi, I met a girl named Anna Kyōyama. She gave me a map to the place, after some reluctance. Then when I returned the map to her, she told me that at a younger age she could summon Ogres as well."

"Strange," Annabelle reacted, and shook her head. "Well, regardless, we should probably get going to the Patch Village. After all, we've only got three months to get there."

"Couldn't have said it better, Dolly," Lou remarked, causing Annabelle to glare at her.

"I thought I told you to not call me by that name!" Annabelle snapped.

"Not until you stop calling me 'Cowboy,'" Lou replied.

"Whatever, Cowboy," Annabelle huffed. "We're wasting enough time as is!"

###

As the sun started to set in the West, the three of us had managed to find a road in the middle of the desert we had been dropped in. So we decided to make camp there and Lou shared some beef jerky he had brought. Though Annabelle was initially reluctant to eat it, her growling stomach forced her to give in. The next morning, we spent time trying to hitch a ride though very few cars came by. Eventually, a rancher who was driving a bunch of cattle stopped and gave us a ride in his truck to the city of Amarillo where Lou's parents happened to be living. As soon as we got there, we stopped at a diner for some food. While Annabelle and I were surprised by the size of the meals, Lou didn't seem to care and happily ate his country-fried steak that was coated in gravy.

"So are we going to your parents' house after this?" I asked as we left the diner.

"We aren't going there," Lou said while cleaning his teeth with a toothpick he had taken on his way out.

"Then where?" Annabelle demanded. "We need to find someone who knows where the Patch Village is."

"Relax, Dolly," Lou insisted. "We've got plenty of time to get there, so while we're here I thought I'd take care of some unfinished business at the family ranch."

Thinking back to Uran's story about his mother, I said, "Is it about Bill's unmarked grave?"

Lou stopped picking his teeth and looked at me. "How'd you know about that?"

"Before our Match, Uran told me that his mother was hired by your family to deal with a ghost that was haunting the ranch," I explained. "And that was Bill."

Lou nodded.

"So then you know she was the one who sealed Bill's spirit away originally, before you released him."

"Was her name Radi?"

This time, I nodded.

"Her name was mentioned in my grandpa's journal," Lou stated. "She had supposedly laid Bill's spirit to rest, but then Bill told me Radi only temporarily rested his soul. But until he's given a proper burial, he refuses to pass on to the afterlife."

"But if you do that, you'll lose Bill as a Guardian Spirit," Annabelle reminded him.

"Maybe, but at least I'll be happy knowing Bill will be at peace," Lou replied, while the apparition of Bill nodded in approval.

So we went to the nearest bus-stop and took the bus that would take us closest to the ranch.

To be continued…


	21. 21st Star: Revenge of the Cowboy

21st Star: Revenge of the Cowboy

By the time we reached Lou's family ranch, though, the three of us were surprised to find several oil derricks in the area which was surrounded by a chain-link fence. Neither of us knew what to say, while Lou had a shocked expression on his face.

"Lou," I said, reaching out to touch him. "I'm so sorry."

In response, Lou clenched his fists. "These guys will pay for desecrating Bill's grave!"

Then Bill appeared next to Lou, whose eyes seemed to glow under the shade of his hat. Next, Lou placed his hand over the bullet he wore around his neck and said, "Oversoul—

"No!" Annabelle exclaimed. "If you kill them, you'll be committing murder."

This caused Lou to hesitate, and then he let his hand fall. "You're right. Killing 'em won't do us any good."

"Maybe there's a way we can gain entrance to give Bill a proper burial," I suggested.

"But who can we talk to about a man that's been dead for almost a century?" Lou asked.

"An archeologist!" Annabelle realized. "There was a museum we passed by on the bus-ride here, and those usually have archaeologists employed."

"Yeah," I concurred. "And they study ancient cultures and fossilized remains for a living. Maybe one of them could help us find the Patch Village as well."

"I was going to say that," Annabelle grumbled.

So we took the next bus back to Amarillo and entered the museum Annabelle noticed. It was fairly large with many Western exhibits, a dinosaur section, and even a display showing several antique guns. Bill's ghostly form seemed to hover over these with interest, which made me nervous as a result. Eventually, we found someone who could direct us to an archaeologist that specialized in the history of Cowboys and Outlaws named Cody Blanchard. But when we entered Cody's office, we found a woman in her mid-thirties with brunette hair tied back in a ponytail wearing round glasses and a brown flannel shirt blue jeans and leather boots.

"Hi, kids," she said in a Western drawl.

"Um, we're here to see Cody Blanchard, ma'am," Lou said politely.

"You're talking to her," the woman responded.

"What?" Annabelle's eyes widened. "But I thought you would be…a man."

"Sorry to disappoint you," Cody sighed. "Always happens whenever someone hears my name for the first time."

"We're here to ask you about a cowboy named Bill Kidman," I stated, trying to keep things on track. "He lived on the Reins family ranch before being shot by someone."

Cody adjusted her glasses, reflecting her baby-blue colored eyes. "You mean Crazy Bill?"

Lou tilted his head in confusion. "Come again?"

"He worked for the Reins family ranch in the late 1800s, before he got fired for flirting with the family's daughter Rose," Cody explained. "So out of revenge, Bill started stealing their cattle though the horses always neighed when he showed up preventing him from taking too many at once. Then one night, he was caught in the act and killed several men before being fatally shot by Rose's father Brier. Now I've heard rumors that his spirit continued to haunt the Reins ranch by scaring their horses and causing their cattle to grow sick, which ruined the Reins financially and forced them to move away allowing an oil tycoon to settle in recently who's been trying to get their land for years."

"Do you know if Bill got a proper burial?" I asked. "Before the oil guys showed up?"

"Not to my knowledge," Cody replied. "I was hired to do an excavation for the tycoon before they started drilling, but we couldn't find Bill's body among the cattle bones that were buried there. So either he was buried somewhere else, or his body had been moved at some point between when he originally died and now."

"I see," I said, glancing at Lou who seemed surprised. "There is one more question I have."

"What's that?" Cody asked.

"Do you know anything about the Patch tribe?"

"Never heard of them myself, but I do have a Native American friend that lives in New Mexico who might know. His name's Hatki, and he's from the Seminoa tribe. I'll give him a call to see if he's available to talk."

"Thank you so much," I nodded politely.

While Cody dialed a number on her desk phone, Lou left to use the restroom. So Annabelle and I waited patiently in Cody's office. Unfortunately, she couldn't get in touch with Hatki and decided to give us his phone-number just as an alarm went off. Outside the office, we discovered that one of the antique gun display cases had been broken and several security guards were running toward a retreating figure whom I recognized immediately.

"Lou!" I shouted. "What are you doing?"

By the time I reached the entrance to the museum, Lou was long gone and the security guards stood looking puzzled.

"He took one of the long-range rifles," Annabelle said, appearing behind me. "A Colt Lightning, I believe."

"Any idea where he might've run off to?" Cody asked, appearing behind me and Annabelle.

"The Reins ranch," I realized. "I think he's going to try looking for Bill's body."

Cody's brow furrowed. "For what purpose?"

"To bury it properly," Annabelle said. "He's a member of the Reins family, you see."

"But why did he take the gun?" Cody said.

"I'm…not sure," I responded.

"There's something you're not telling me," Cody guessed, eying Annabelle and I suspiciously. "Now I can either leave you two with the police, or come with me to my truck and explain everything that's going on."

With no other choice, I agreed to tell Cody the truth while Annabelle rolled her eyes. So we made our way to the museum parking-lot where a bright red truck was waiting. Cody got into the driver's seat, while Annabelle and I got into the passenger's side. Then as she drove out, I proceeded to tell her Lou's story as well as the existence of Shamans.

To be continued…


	22. 22nd Star: Lightning Shot

22nd Star: Lightning Shot

During the ride over to the ranch, Cody listened to what I had to say with an indifferent tone.

"So you're telling me that Shamans aren't just spiritual leaders in different cultures, but people that can actually see spirits and control them?" When I nodded, Cody then said, "And there's an annual contest that's held every five hundred years to determine the next 'Shaman King' who controls the world with a powerful being called the Great Spirit?"

I nodded once more.

Cody shook her head. "I pride myself on being a scientist, so pardon me if I find a hard time believing any of this."

"Whether you believe us or not is beside the point," Annabelle pointed out. "Because of our colleague's history with the ranch, and what you told us at the museum, I suspect he's trying to set things right regarding the unlawful execution of Bill Kidman."

"And that's why he took the antique gun," I realized, turning to Cody. "Do you know if it's loaded with ammunition?"

"The Colt Lightning?" Cody paused. "I don't think so, but we have gotten guns in the past that turned out to be loaded during inspections."

"Was the Colt Lightning inspected before it was put on display?" Annabelle asked.

"No, so there's a 50-50 chance it'll have ammunition in it," replied Cody.

"Let's hope it doesn't," I said nervously, until a new thought crossed my mind. "Unless he uses the bullet…"

"What bullet?" Cody asked.

Before I could respond, we saw the ranch area coming up. But as we got closer, a terrible sight greeted us. Not only was the chain-link fence torn open, but there were several bodies lying on the ground beyond. Cody abruptly stopped the truck, causing me and Annabelle to fall forward. We quickly caught ourselves, and got out of the truck.

"Lou!" I shouted.

There was no reply.

"He must be inside," Annabelle guessed.

"Now what was that you were saying about a bullet?" Cody said, trying to hide the uneasiness in her voice.

"It's his Medium for Bill's spirit," I said, causing Cody to give me an odd look. "An object that can house a spirit, and allow them to manifest physically as an Oversoul."

"An Oversoul?" A sudden gunshot rang out which briefly distracted Cody.

We made our way through the torn chain-link fence, and saw a lone figure walking out of a small building. It was Lou, and he was carrying a long-barreled rifle that was shaped like a lightning bolt with a large scope attached to it. Then on the butt of the rifle was Bill's face, which turned to us with his glowing blue eyes.

"If you're wondering what an Oversoul is, Cody, that's one right there," Annabelle said, nodding at the lightning bolt-shaped gun.

"Sure took your sweet time getting here," Lou remarked, turning to face us. "I've just about finished cleaning house."

Looking at the fallen men, I asked, "Did you kill these people, Lou?"

"Nah," Lou responded as he shook his head. "I just stunned them with my new Oversoul: Lightning Shot. It's a combination of the bullet I found beside my grandpa's journal that was left in Bill's gun when he died, and the Colt Lightning rifle."

"And that's technically owned by the museum," Cody pointed out, folding her arms. "Now I'm going to ask you to give me the gun back, and explain yourself to the authorities."

"Don't bring the police here!" I insisted, looking up at Cody. "Let's hear what Lou has to say."

"I think Lou's done talking," Annabelle assumed, putting her hands in a prayer position. "But maybe he'll listen to force! _Nirmanakaya_!"

Then as her body slumped to the ground, the doll Roger emerged from the folds of her dress brandishing a set of small knives that were wrapped around its body. As it charged at Lou, Roger threw several of the knives causing Lou to pick up the Lightning Shot rifle and take aim. With one shot, a silver bullet ricocheted off the knives causing them to veer off-course and hit Roger's chest with an electric shock without penetrating it. This caused the doll to fall over, as Annabelle's spirit returned to her body. She regained consciousness, breathing heavily while putting a hand against her heart. Meanwhile, the hovering bullet returned back to Lou's outstretched hand.

"See? I was telling the truth," Lou stated, placing the bullet back into the barrel of the rifle. "Now since none of these men could tell me where Bill's grave was located, I'm assuming you know where it is, Miss Blanchard."

As Lou pointed the gun at her, Cody was forced to nod.

"But I thought you said you couldn't find it," I said.

"We found what looked to be an unmarked grave during the excavation, but there were no human remains in it," Cody clarified.

Lou flinched. "You'd better not be lying."

"I'll show it to you if you don't believe me," Cody replied.

So with Lou pointing the Lightning Shot rifle at Cody, she led us to a patch of dirt that was located near an oil derrick while Annabelle trailed behind with Roger clutched in her hands. Moving the dirt aside with her foot, Cody revealed a shallow hole that looked big enough to fit a person inside of it. But indeed, there were no bones or any signs of human occupation.

"Is this where you were buried?" Lou asked, looking at Bill's face.

In response, he nodded.

"And you have no idea where the body could've gone?" Lou said to Cody, who shook her head.

"Wait a minute," I abruptly stated. "If Rose was a member of the Reins family, along with her father Brier, that means they're your relatives, Lou."

"Yeah, I knew that," Lou replied. "Rose was my grandpa's sister, so she's my great-aunt, while her father's my great-grandfather."

"Then they must be buried in a cemetery," Annabelle responded. "And if they haven't passed onto the afterlife yet, then their ghosts might be present there."

"So we could talk to them and find out where Bill's body might have been moved to," I added, causing Annabelle to glare at me.

Meanwhile, Lou's eyes widened and he nearly dropped the rifle. "Gosh, you both are right! What was I thinking for coming here?"

As a result, the Lightning Shot rifle diminished and in its place was the Colt Lightning rifle and the bullet was back to being around Lou's neck on the silver chain.

To be continued…


	23. 23rd Star: Undying Love

23rd Star: Undying Love

So after Lou gave Cody back the Colt Lightning, she agreed to take us to the cemetery where Lou's relatives were buried. It turned out they were located inside a mausoleum, which contained several stone coffins. From one of these emerged an apparition of a woman wearing a long pink dress with blonde hair and blue eyes. At the same time, Bill appeared next Lou and he appeared to be genuinely shocked.

"Hey, Bill," the woman said, with a happy smile on her face. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

Bill then floated over to the woman and the two embraced. The four of us watched in confusion, until the woman looked over her shoulder and noticed us.

"Are they…Shamans?" When Bill nodded, the woman said, "Sorry for being rude. I've heard about you guys from other ghosts who've since then passed onto the afterlife, including my own brother Tom."

"That's my grandfather," Lou said, stepping forward. "Are you Rose Reins?"

"I am," the woman replied. "And you are?"

"Lou Reins, your great-nephew," Lou answered.

"Ah, I recognize our family's signature features in you, young man," Rose smiled. "I'm so glad to finally meet you. My brother talked a lot about you before he passed on, as well as what he did for Bill."

We all gave her a confused look.

"You know what I'm talking about, Bill?" As Bill shook his head, Rose's eyes suddenly widened. "Oh, right, you were asleep!"

"Asleep?" I said.

"When Bill was haunting the family ranch out of revenge for what my father did, my brother hired a Shaman named Radi to lay Bill's spirit to rest," Rose explained. "Unfortunately, since he hadn't been given a proper burial, she could only place his spirit in a sleep-like state within the remains of his body which could only be broken if his name was uttered. So my brother tried to make plans to give Bill a proper burial, but the ranch's ruin and the family being forced to move made that kind of difficult. Fortunately, he was able to make arrangements to have Bill's remains taken here before he died and the oil drillers took the family ranch."

"Then why did Bill think his body was still buried on the family ranch when it was moved here?" Annabelle asked.

"Maybe while he was asleep, Bill had no idea what happened to his body," Lou guessed. "So when I accidentally broke the seal Radi placed on him, he thought he was still buried on the family ranch."

Bill nodded to confirm this, and continued to hug Rose. She in turn hugged him back, and then a bright light from above shone upon her. As her body started to glow, it started to grow fainter.

"I couldn't live without you, so I committed suicide after my father killed you," Rose muttered. "Then when my body was moved to the mausoleum, I refused to pass on until I saw you again. But now that I have, I see no reason to continue being here. You're welcome to join me, Bill, but I'll leave that up to you."

Bill watched in silence as Rose faded away into the light and disappeared. Behind him, Bill removed the chain necklace and took off the bullet.

"If you're not planning to be here any longer, I'll put your bullet in its new grave and say a prayer to you," Lou offered, holding the bullet in his hand.

For a moment, Bill turned away from Lou and looked upward. Then he nodded, and turned into a Spirit Flame which merged with the bullet turning it into the Six-Shooter Oversoul with Bill's face on the side.

"So that's your decision, huh?" Lou remarked, turning the revolver so Bill's face was staring directly at him.

"Your spirit's a stubborn man, Lou," Annabelle responded, frowning.

"Yeah," Lou admitted. "But I guess since you bothered to call me by my real name for once, maybe I should start calling you Annabelle from now on."

Annabelle flinched. "I don't know what you're talking out."

"You said it just now," Lou pointed out.

"It was a moment of weakness."

"Then do you want me to still call you Dolly?"

"No," mumbled Annabelle.

"All right." The Six-Shooter Oversoul disappeared in Lou's hand, reverting back to the bullet which he proceeded to put around the chain necklace. "Instead of Dolly, I'll call you...Annie."

"That's better, Cowboy," Annabelle sneered.

###

The next morning, Cody returned the Colt Lightning rifle to the museum only to find out it was actually a replica of the real thing which was safely locked. So as a sign of gratitude for our honesty and opening her eyes up to the world of Shamans, she allowed Lou to keep the replica. She also told us that Hatki lived in the village of Ruidoso which was close to Roswell, where the first UFO sighting happened. This naturally made me think of Rutherfor and her spirit Grey Saucer, who was clearly an alien.

"Do you think the Patch may have had contact with aliens before the Roswell sighting happened?" I wondered out loud as me Lou and Annabelle rode on the back of a truck out of Amarillo.

Annabelle shrugged. "For all we know, the Patch could be extraterrestrials since no one has ever heard of them except for Shamans."

"And possibly this Seminoa tribe," Lou said. "Speaking of which, I found a book about them in Cody's house while we were waiting for her to come back with the rifle and took a quick look through it."

"What did you find out?" I asked.

"Not much," Lou shrugged. "They apparently specialize in a kind of magic that allows them to connect spirits with other people who experience the spirits' memories in the form of visions."

"Odd," Annabelle remarked.

"Also, a majority of them were wiped out five hundred years ago during an attack by an unknown tribe though the book didn't specify which one," added Lou.

"So Hatki is probably descended from one of the survivors," I figured.

To be continued…


	24. 24th Star: A Deadly Vision

24th Star: A Deadly Vision

By the time we arrived in Ruidoso, it was early evening. So Annabelle Lou and I decided to head for a local restaurant to get some food and ask about Hatki's whereabouts. When we got inside, some of the people briefly stared at us before going back to their businesses. But there was one old man who kept staring at us. He had a white anchor-shaped tattoo on his neck, and piercing black eyes with long white hair pulled back into a ponytail. Clothing-wise, he wore a plain white shirt, blue jeans, leather boots, and a bolo tie with a melted arrowhead on the clasp.

"What's wrong, Shizu?" Annabelle asked, who was sitting next to me at our booth.

"It's nothing," I assured her, turning away from the old man. "I just thought someone was watching us."

Lou had nothing to say on the matter, as he was busy eating a sirloin steak. So I preoccupied myself with eating my first chili soup, while Annabelle was eating her fish and chips with a disgusted look on her face.

"They're not as tasty as the ones back home," Annabelle murmured.

"Want to try my steak?" Lou offered, cutting off a piece of steak and holding it towards Annabelle who flinched.

"I'm not a fan of red meat, thank you," Annabelle said, trying to sound polite.

"Excuse me," an elderly voice spoke.

The three of us looked to our right and saw the old man I noticed earlier standing before us. He was a lot shorter up close, and so he had to look up as he spoke.

"Are you three participating in the Shaman King Tournament?" He asked.

Lou gave the old man a suspicious look. "What makes you think that?"

"Those things around your wrists," the old man said, pointing to my Oracle Pager. "I've seen them before."

"Where?" Lou asked.

"In the visions I saw of the warriors from my tribe, who were invited to participate in the Shaman King Tournament five hundred years ago," the old man answered solemnly. "I am Hatki, of the Seminoa."

Then he touched the arrowhead, and a burning arrow shot from it.

Lou was hit in the chest by the arrow, which seemed to go through him. "What did you—

In a split second, Lou suddenly collapsed in his seat with his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Lou!" I cried.

Next, Hatki turned his attention to Annabelle and shot the same type of arrow into her chest causing her to collapse in the same fashion as Lou.

"What's going on?" I questioned. "Why are you doing this?"

"Since we made eye-contact earlier, I cast an illusion upon you using my Oversoul: Flying Arrow," Hatki explained. "Its Medium is the arrowhead on my tie, where the spirit of my great-great-great-great-great grandfather Lakni's wife resides. She died in the attack upon our village, which you three shall soon experience for yourselves."

Hatki's arrowhead then fired a third arrow into my chest, which made my vision blacken briefly before I found myself somewhere in the desert with Lou and Annabelle who looked just as confused as I was.

"How did we get here?" Annabelle questioned. "Are we dead?"

"I'm not sure," I said. "Hatki told me he cast some kind of illusion when I made eye-contact with him after we initially entered the restaurant."

"Though how was Hatki was able to cast his Oversoul with none of the patrons noticing anything?" Lou questioned. "I mean, seeing ghosts is one thing but given that an Oversoul makes a ghost physical…"

"Perhaps his Oversoul was a subtle form of hypnosis that made us think we were still in the restaurant, until he checked us out and discovered we were Shaman King participants," Annabelle guessed. "Then once his suspicions were confirmed, he unleashed the full power of his Oversoul causing our perception of reality to become completely distorted as a result."

"That still doesn't explain where we are, though," Lou pointed out.

Then soon enough, a towering being appeared just above the nearby cliffs. It was the same giant creature we saw after falling out of the plane, with the antlers and orange patterns over a fiery body which included two round eyes and no mouth. I soon noticed someone standing on the creature's shoulder, and squinted my eyes to see a tall man with a narrow chin long black hair and wearing a poncho that covered most of his body.

"Who is that?" Annabelle wondered.

"I don't know, but I think we should run," Lou suggested.

As the creature noticed us, it pointed its finger down producing a fiery beam that scorched the earth near our feet. So the three of us started running, dodging more beams along the way, until we reached a small cluster of teepee-like structures. There were several people standing around, who started running away once they saw the creature, except for one person. He was taller than the man riding the creature, with black hair tied back into a long ponytail, and an anchor-shaped tattoo on his neck.

"Hatki?" I exclaimed.

Suddenly, something pierced my chest and my whole body was suddenly engulfed in flames. I screamed in agonizing pain, while Lou and Annabelle's cries echoed mine. Then before my eyes burned out, I heard the man whom I assumed was Hatki call out a name: Kitisci.

When I came to, I found myself lying on the floor of a wooden cabin. To my left and right, Annabelle and Lou were coming too as well with sweat dripping down their foreheads. Soon enough, Hatki appeared.

"Impressive," Hatki remarked. "You three survived a Seminoa vision, which can be unpleasant both physically and mentally."

"Where are we?" I asked wearily.

"My home," Hatki answered. "After I used Flying Arrow, I took all of you from the restaurant with help from the patrons and brought you here."

"Why?" Annabelle demanded.

"To keep you from reaching the Patch Village," Hatki answered. "They were the ones who destroyed my village in that vision."

Lou groaned. "So that man riding that creature was—

"An Official from the Patch Village, whose name was Hao."

To be continued…


	25. 25th Star: Reincarnation

25th Star: Reincarnation

"Hao?" I blinked. "But that's the same name as my ancestor, Hao Asakura."

This made Hatki look down at me sternly. "What did he look like?"

"I don't know," I said, shaking my head. "But that creature from the vision you showed us looked familiar."

"It was the same kind of spirit that long-haired kid summoned when we fell out of the Oversoul plane," Lou stated, causing Hatki's eyes to widen.

"How long was this boy's hair?" Hatki asked.

"Went down past his shoulders, at least," Lou answered, sitting up while holding his head. "And it was black."

"Any other distinct features that you can remember?"

"His face was narrow, his eyes were dark, and he wore a poncho that covered most of his body."

Sighing painfully, Hatki stated, "Then it must be Hao."

"But that's impossible!" Annabelle exclaimed, sitting upright. "How can a man that attacked your village five hundred years ago still be alive today?"

"There is…a certain ritual in Japan," Hatki explained. "Known as Taizan Fukun no Sai, it allows one to reincarnate after death while retaining the memories and abilities of one's past lives."

"How do you know about this ritual?" I demanded. "Because I've certainly never heard of it, and I'm from the Branch Family of the Asakuras."

"In my lifelong search to find the man responsible for destroying my village, I came to Japan to find my answers and met with the Asakura head Yohmei," Hatki explained. "He told me about his family ancestor, who was originally called Asaha Douji before he became Hao Asakura, and the ritual he used to stave off death to fulfill his ultimate goal which is to rid the world of humans for good. And what better way to accomplish that than the Shaman King Tournament?"

"So you're saying that my ancestor used Taizan Fukun no Sai to reincarnate as a member of the Patch five hundred years ago, and then as a young boy in the present?"

"It would seem so, as Yohmei confirmed my suspicion about the man from my ancestor's visions and warned me that Hao might return by the time the next Shaman King Tournament occurred."

"Then if that's the case, we should stop him," Lou responded, getting to his knees.

"No!" Hatki insisted. "I cannot let you go. If this new incarnation of Hao is using the same spirit he used to destroy my village, then there's no chance of stopping him."

"But given the number of Shamans that are participating in the tournament, surely one of them could stand up to Hao," I argued. "In fact, my cousin from the Main Family is currently involved."

"And what kind of spirit does he possess?"

Unable to answer Hatki, I regretted not asking Keiko about it when I was at the Asakura Family House. Meanwhile, Annabelle was surprised to find that Roger wasn't on her dress anymore and Lou couldn't seem to locate the Colt Lightning or the bullet necklace.

"I took the liberty of removing your Mediums while you were unconscious," Hatki said. "And I won't tell you where they are unless you'll promise to go home and forget about this Shaman King Tournament."

Quickly, I checked my inner jacket pockets and discovered my origami stars were gone too. So I sent a mental message out to them, while Lou and Annabelle glared at Hatki. In a matter of seconds, the Shikigami-possessed stars slip through the cracks of a closed door nearby and surrounded Hatki on all sides with their edges gleaming.

"Now I don't want to hurt you, Hatki," I said, standing up slowly. "But we need to get to the Patch Village, not just to fulfill our own goals but to stop my ancestor from accomplishing his goal which is way worse than ours."

"Yet you three are merely children," Hatki pointed out, touching the arrowhead.

Averting my gaze, I continued, "It doesn't matter. If we have the ability to stop Hao, then we should be allowed to do it. Otherwise, what happened to your village will happen to the whole world. This includes Cody, whom I'm guessing you care a great deal about. That's why you didn't answer her phone-call, right?"

Before Hatki could answer, a series of knocks came from the front door. This caused me to force Hoshi and the other Shikigami back into my jacket pockets, while Lou and Annabelle got to their feet. As Hatki went to see who it was, me and the others quickly sneaked to the closed door. Then just as Lou was about to open it, the front door opened.

"Hello, Hatki," a familiar voice said, prompting me to look back. "It's been a long time since we last met, hasn't it?"

Behind me, the long-haired boy stood on the other side of the front door smiling while Hatki was slowly backing away.

"Of course, you were known back then as Lakni, the only Seminoan Shaman who didn't get to participate in the Shaman King Tournament five hundred years ago," the long-haired boy clarified, not moving an inch. "Instead, you had to watch your wife Kitisci perish and run away along with the other survivors like scared animals in wake of an oncoming wildfire."

Just then, the upper-half of the fiery antlered creature appeared behind the boy reaching out towards Hatki who held up his arrowhead clasp which briefly glinted.

"Nice try, but your attempt at putting me in a Seminoa Vision won't work," the boy sneered. "My will is too strong to succumb to such hypnosis, and your pitiful attempt at reincarnation is nowhere near the same level of Mana as mine."

Then Lou managed opened the closed door shoving me and Annabelle inside. As he closed it, we heard the sound of roaring fire followed by a painful-sounding scream.

"Hatki!" I exclaimed. "We have to help him!"

"It's too late," Lou insisted, grabbing the Colt Lightning from a trunk Bill's ghost opened along with the bullet necklace while Annabelle grabbed the doll Roger. "We need to get out of here, before that kid fries us too."

"But wait," Annabelle abruptly said, reaching into the bottom of the trunk. "There's a map—

"Let's go!" Lou grabbed Annabelle by the waist, yanking her toward the back door.

So hastily I grabbed a folded piece of paper from the trunk, which I assumed was the map Annabelle was referring to, before Bill followed Lou and Annabelle out through the back door while I closed it behind us. We found ourselves running down a rocky slope towards a forest which faced the nearby mountains, just as Hatki's whole house was set ablaze with the antlered creature emerging from it which I saw after briefly looking back before Lou urged me to keep moving.

To be continued…


	26. 26th Star: The Four Corners

26th Star: The Four Corners

Skirting our way around the mountains using the forest as cover, the three of us eventually reached a road that was several miles from Ruidoso. There, we waited till morning when a car appeared which we waved at. It was a blue truck driven by a young Hispanic-looking man who had a four-wheeler tied to a carrier that was attached to the back of his truck.

"Where are you three heading?" The man asked.

While Lou and Annabelle stared at me, I unfolded the paper I took from Hatki's house. Indeed, it was a map showing the entire state of New Mexico. At the top corner, there were lines indicating the other three states which seemed to converge on one place.

"Can you tell us what this is?" I showed the spot to the man who was leaning out of the passenger side window.

"Mesa Verde?" When I nodded, the man said, "It's a national monument, with a lot of cliff dwellings in it."

"Cliff dwellings?"

"You know, ancient settlements built in cliffs," the man answered. "There was a group of Native Americans that used to live there, before they disappeared, and the area is considered sacred to many groups since it lies at the center of the Four Corners."

"The Four Corners?"

"Look, just get in. I'll explain as we're driving to Santa Fe, where I'm heading to meet some friends of mine. It's relatively close to Mesa Verde, so if you need to get there it'll be easier to do it from Santa Fe."

Unsure of how to answer, Lou put his hand on my shoulder and looked up at the man. "Then we'll take your offer, Mister."

So the man scooted back into the diver's seat while I sat in the passenger's side. Lou and Annabelle, though, were forced to sit in the back together with the Colt Lightning stretched between their laps. As the man resumed driving on the road, he asked a bunch of questions such as who we were and where our parents were. In response, we gave him the same answers we gave to the last guy we drove with saying we were foreigners and had lost track of our parents in the process. Then once that was over, I asked the man about the Four Corners.

"From what I know, the Four Corners is basically a region that lies at the intersection of four states," the man explained, drawing a circle in the air with four lines intersecting. "In particular, the upper corners of New Mexico and Arizona and the lower ones of Utah and Colorado."

Looking at the map again, I found a small image showing the entire United States. After finding New Mexico, based on its shape, I saw the intersection between the three other states the man spoke of. As I attempted to ponder over the significance of this, my mind kept drifting back to the vision and that creature belonging to the long-haired boy who was now identified as Hao. It was difficult for me to wrap my head around the notion that he was my ancestor, the same man who left a stain on the Asakura family legacy and wiped out a whole village making the Patch seem evil in the eyes of the Seminoa people. But then as I questioned why he looked like the boy whom I guessed was Yoh, despite the fact that I never officially met him, my mind hit a mental brick wall.

###

Several hours later, we arrived in Santa Fe which had amazing-looking houses made from adobe and street vendors all over the old town square. After thanking the man for taking us here, me and the others walked up to some of the Native American sellers asking if they knew anything about the Patch Village. To our disappointment, most of them either knew nothing or tried to persuade us to buy their stuff instead.

"This is getting ridiculous," Annabelle moaned, as we sat in the shade of a tree in the park eating Navajo Fry Bread tacos we reluctantly bought from a street vendor out of hunger. "We lost the only person who could tell us where the Patch Village is to a reincarnated psychopath, and now we're back to wandering around aimlessly."

"You mean sightseeing?" Lou joked, eating his taco in one bite.

Annabelle glared at him. "If it wasn't for that excursion in Amarillo involving Bill and his sweetheart, we would've gotten to Hatki sooner before he—

"But he would've forced us to turn away regardless of whether Hao showed up or not," Lou insisted. "Heck, it wouldn't surprise me if he decided to expose us to that vision over and over again until we agreed to leave."

"He was only trying to protect us, though," I said, causing Lou to look at me. "If what Hao said was true, and Hatki was the reincarnation of his ancestor Lakni, he clearly didn't want us to meet the same fate as his wife all those years ago and that's why he showed us that vision."

"All the more reason why we need to find the Patch Village soon, before Hao does," Annabelle proclaimed. "Now I'm not sure why Hatki had a map showing Mesa Verde in his trunk, but—

"That's it!" I exclaimed, looking down at the map again with renewed interest.

"What is?" Annabelle asked.

"The reason Hatki had this map in his possession…might be because he figured the Patch Village was somewhere around here," I said, holding the map up. "And if this Four Corners area is as sacred as that guy claimed, then Mesa Verde might be the key to finding the Patch Village."

This made Annabelle groan. "But we don't know that! Just because you found a map of New Mexico that just so happens to show Mesa Verde on it doesn't necessarily mean that's where the Patch Village is."

"For once, I agree with Annie," Lou concurred. "We should probably check some resources to make sure your suspicions are correct. Otherwise, we could end up at the wrong place and be back to square one."

To be continued…


	27. 27th Chapter: A Strange Dream

27th Star: A Strange Dream

For the next few days, Lou Annabelle and I searched around Santa Fe for anyone or anything that could confirm my suspicions about the Patch Village being at Mesa Verde. We started at the local library, visited the museums, and even talked to more of the Native American vendors at the old town square. Unfortunately, each of these led to a dead end by the end of the week. So I encouraged the others to take a bus with me to Mesa Verde to find clues to the whereabouts of the Patch.

"If we don't find anything, we've still got two-and-a-half months to get to the village," I insisted as we waited at the Santa Fe bus-stop. "So we still have plenty of time."

"That's true," Lou concurred.

"But now we have Hao to deal with," Annabelle reminded us. "I mean, for all we know, he could be looking for us right now."

"Because we got away from him when he killed Hatki?" Lou suggested.

Annabelle shook her head. "I don't think he cared that we were there. Otherwise, he would've gotten to us long ago."

"Then why would he go after us?" I asked.

"If he's trying to become Shaman King to wipe out humanity as Hatki claimed, then he might try to take out anyone who might be a threat to his plans," Annabelle frowned.

Thinking back to what Hao said to me at the airport in Tokyo, I shivered in fear as the bus to Mesa Verde arrived.

###

By the time we arrived in the city of Durango, which was north of Santa Fe and close to Mesa Verde, it was late evening. Because we were tired, the three of us decided to sleep in the bus-station and wait for the next bus to Mesa Verde which would arrive early the next morning. Though Annabelle wasn't too fond of the idea, Lou convinced her that we couldn't find a hotel that would be close enough for us to reach the bus-station in time which seemed to quiet her down.

"I wonder why Uran didn't tell me that Hao was once a member of the Patch, let alone had the power to reincarnate," I said out loud as we were sitting down on rows of seats that were close to one another in the bus-station.

"Probably because he didn't think it was important at the time," Lou guessed.

"Plus, since he's not a Patch Officiant he couldn't have known Hao would be participating in this tournament," Annabelle pointed out.

"But Rutherfor might have known," I figured. "And if that's the case, why didn't _she_ say anything about it?"

"Maybe she was still being punished by Chief Goldva for telling us too much about our opponents during the Preliminaries," Annabelle suggested.

"Seems like a good explanation," Lou yawned. "Now let's get some shut-eye. We've got a long day ahead of us."

As soon as I fell asleep, though, I found myself reliving the traumatic incident with the star-shaped Ogre from my childhood. Only this time, Hao was there. First, he appeared as the long-haired boy. Then he became the man from Hatki's vision, and finally appeared as a delicate-faced man wearing a traditional Japanese-style robe and cap that was similar to the kind Feudal Era lords wore.

"Hao?" I said, unable to move.

"Yes, child," he said, smiling down at me. "This is my true form, before I reincarnated using the Taizan Fukun no Sai Ritual. It requires mastering the five elements, and making a deal with a certain deity to gain full mastery over your soul so that you may be reborn in any shape or form you please. The catch is that each reincarnation can only happen every few years, which in my case was five hundred."

Unsure of how to respond, I asked, "So why are you here, in my dream?"

"To remind you of what your heritage is," replied Hao, kneeling down to my level. "You have the power to summon Ogres, just like I did, but you're afraid to use it. All it takes is control of the mind, Shizu, and the Ogres will obey you. Take this one, for example."

I turned from Hao and looked at the star-shaped Ogre with the crescent-shaped eye.

"Concentrate your thoughts on him, and he will follow your commands," Hao instructed.

As I stared at the Ogre, I inquired, "How is this going to help me? I already have Hoshi and his friends to protect me."

"Those things are child's play compared to the true power you can accomplish," Hao insisted. "If you're willing to join my cause, I can teach you how to unlock these gifts which are no different from my own."

Frowning, I looked directly at Hao instead of the Ogre. "Just because I'm related to you doesn't mean I have to follow in your footsteps. You may have been a great Onmyoji at one point, but you're not a good person and I certainly don't want to become a murderer like you!"

"Everything I did was in reaction to the humans," Hao claimed, as a strange-looking dog appeared behind him. "They made me suffer as far as I can remember, so they deserve to be wiped out."

"No, they don't!" I snapped. "For the longest time, I thought I was human before learning I was a Shaman. But even with all the horrible things humans have committed in general over the centuries, they're not all bad."

Frowning, Hao responded, "If you're not with me, then you're my enemy."

Then the dog leaped towards my throat, and I woke up screaming. This in turn awakened Lou and Annabelle while the bus-station was still empty. Outside, the first rays of dawn were appearing over the eastern sky.

"What's wrong, Shizu?" Lou asked. "Did you have a bad dream?"

"I don't know," I murmured. "I thought it was a dream…but it seemed so real."

As more people showed up, I decided to wait before telling Annabelle and Lou about last night's bizarre experience until we were on the bus heading to Mesa Verde.

To be continued…


	28. 28th Star: Going Underground

28th Star: Going Underground

"So Hao showed up in your dream to persuade you to join his side, but after refusing his offer a weird dog attacked you before you woke up," Lou recapped after we had arrived at the entrance to Mesa Verde.

"That's what I think happened, but I'm not sure if it was real or not," I said nervously.

"It could have just been a dream, though," Annabelle shrugged.

"What did the dog look like?" Lou asked.

"Well, it was…tan-colored, with patches of white, and a flat tail," I recalled.

"Sounds like a coyote," Lou remarked. "Maybe it's another Oversoul Hao has that allows him to enter people's dreams."

"Or it was _just_ a dream," Annabelle repeated. "Anyway, we should catch to the tour group before they leave us behind."

As Annabelle walked ahead of us in her worn-out dress shoes, Lou and I followed her. We soon found ourselves walking alongside ancient ruins that were indeed built into the cliffs we were standing along the edges of. While the female park ranger was talking about the cliff dwellings, I tried to look for anything out of the ordinary that would clue me in on whether the Patch did live here or not.

"Excuse me, Ma'am?" Lou said, raising his hand.

"Yes?" The park ranger responded.

"Did a group called the Patch occupy this place at one point?" As the other tourists stared at Lou, he gave them an embarrassed smile.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about, kid, because to my knowledge no group by that name occupied this place," answered the park ranger. "Now where are your parents?"

We in turn gave her the same explanation to everyone else who we encountered, but she didn't seem to buy it and offered to help us find our parents after she was done with the tour. We eventually came to a round structure that was sticking out of the ground which the park ranger referred to as a Kiva where underground ceremonies were apparently held. As she took half the group into the Kiva, I was tempted to follow but Annabelle held me back.

"We should probably get going, before she does try to call our parents," Annabelle insisted.

I hesitated. "But—

"If she's an expert on this place as she claims, and the Patch didn't live here, then I guess we were wrong," Lou concurred.

Just as I was about to argue with them, I saw a familiar figure standing near an entrance to a cave that was blocked off by a rope. He was tall with short black hair and had leather braces which had bear claws stitched into them.

"Uran?" I recognized.

To my surprise, he merely smiled and walked back into the cave.

"Wait!" I cried, heading towards the cave while Lou and Annabelle were right on my heels. We stepped over the rope and ran further into the cave where it grew darker and darker. I couldn't see Uran anywhere, but the light from the entrance seemed to disappear until the three of us were standing in total darkness. Then strange faces appeared, with some being human while others weren't. Among these, I recognized the same creature that was with Hao which opened its mouth revealing a fiery abyss with long teeth resembling dripping lava. Jolting up suddenly, I found myself lying on a mat with a woven blanket over me while Lou and Annabelle were lying next to me looking confused as they sat up.

"Where are we?" I asked out loud, touching my bandaged arm to make sure it was real.

"You're safe in the Patch Village," replied a familiar voice.

Looking past Lou and Annabelle, I saw Uran standing in the doorway of the room we were in.

"The Patch Village?" I blinked. "So it was at Mesa Verde?"

"Only the entrance, but not the village itself," Uran corrected. "Still, you three passed the First-Half of the Second Round of the Shaman King Tournament and made it here in less than two weeks which is quite impressive given you didn't know where the village was to begin with."

"We had help along the way, though, Uran," Lou insisted, getting up.

"You two know each other?" I said, looking between Lou and Uran.

"Yeah, I met him at the meeting in Tokyo before we left for America," Lou explained. "He told me he was your Shamanic mentor, and I told him what happened in relation to our battle and apologized for accidentally hurting you."

Then as I looked at my bandaged arm again, which still hurt after all the time that had passed due to the amount of physical strain I put it through.

"So what's the deal then?" Annabelle asked. "Why did we have to come here?"

"To see the Great Spirit for yourselves," Uran answered.

Surprised, the three of us got up and followed him out of the room where we found ourselves in an underground settlement surrounded by dwellings similar to the ones at Mesa Verde. But what drew our attention more was the big glowing object that was situated at the center and towered above us all the way up to the rocky ceiling.

"That's the Great Spirit?" I murmured, awestruck.

"Yep," Uran nodded. "It appears somewhere on Earth during the tournament, and this year it chose the Patch Village so we had all the candidates journey here to see it."

"But why do that when you could have taken us directly here?" Annabelle demanded.

"Then you wouldn't have gained anything," Uran responded. "Obviously, this journey has changed you all. You may not see it yet, but you'll notice it in the tournament during the Second-Half."

"Tournament?" I exclaimed. "What do you mean?"

"Maybe I said too much, but it'll be explained soon enough," Uran assured, trying to hide his guilty smile by looking away. "In the meantime, feel free to rest and explore the village while the other candidates catch up."

As Uran walked away, me and the others were left puzzled as we continued to stare at the enormous being that was the Great Spirit.

To be continued…


	29. 29th Star: Opposing Forces

29th Star: Opposing Forces

In the weeks that followed, my wounded arm was able to heal quickly thanks to a Patch healer named Zin who Uran knew. Also, Anna Kyōyama showed up with two other kids I didn't recognize. One was a pink-haired girl with a Kokkuri board, while the other was a short boy carrying a large encyclopedia. As for Anna, she was carrying an ancient sword to give to Yoh when he showed up at the Patch Village and a book containing all of Hao's spells from when he was an Onmyoji.

"Is there a chance I could take a look at that?" I asked, pointing to the spell-book after I told Anna about my encounter with Hao while she confirmed what Hatki said about Hao.

"I'm not sure if that would be a good idea," the pink-haired girl said, who introduced herself as Tamao earlier. "When we went to retrieve the spell-book, I accidentally broke the seal on it which released these two star-shaped Ogres that had once served Hao."

This made my eyes widen. "Is this true, Anna?"

In turn, Anna nodded. "Fortunately, I was able to subdue them with my beads and now they're under my control."

To demonstrate, she opened the book to a page containing two paper dolls. From them emerged two star-shaped Ogres that looked similar to the one from my childhood, only one was blue while the other was red.

"Because this spell-book is required to summon them, let alone keep them under control, I can't let you have it," Anna insisted, keeping the spell-book close to her. "Even if I let you take a peek, there's no telling how these spells will react to your Mana given that you're from the Branch Family."

"I understand," I said reluctantly and left after Anna sealed the Ogres back into the book.

Then I wandered back to Uran's home, where me and the others woke up, and found Lou.

"Where's Annabelle?" I asked.

"She went to the gift-shop," Lou answered. "Said something about looking for a way to improve her Oversoul."

"What could she find at the gift-shop that would—oh!" Quickly, I left the home and went to the gift-shop nearby.

Sure enough, Annabelle was there looking at several of the dolls that were on one shelf. After grabbing a handful and paying the owner, she looked in my direction and froze.

"What's wrong?" I said, looking confused.

She said nothing and instead pointed at something behind me. Looking back, I saw several individuals walking into the Patch Village with Hao leading them. To my surprise, none of the Patch people seemed to react to his presence. So I immediately ran back to Uran's home and found Uran trying to subdue Lou, who had the Lightning Shot Oversoul in hand.

"Why'd you let him in here?" Lou demanded angrily. "Do you have any idea what that kid's capable of?"

"The Patch are well aware of Hao's capabilities," Uran insisted. "After all, he was among us in a previous life."

"Then you should know better than to let him go near the Great Spirit!"

"He can't touch the Great Spirit," said a distant female voice abruptly. "It will only obey the will of the Shaman King, who hasn't been determined yet."

"Rutherfor!" I exclaimed, seeing her standing next to me.

Instead of her denim jacket and jeans, she wore a traditional Native American-style dress made from leather that had grey beads in the shape of a UFO on her chest with matching moccasins.

"But, if he wins the tournament, humans will be wiped off the face of the earth!" Lou argued. "He must be stopped now, before he has the chance to become Shaman King!"

"Yet he's missed two opportunities before," Rutherfor pointed out. "So what's to say he won't fail this time?"

"That Guardian Spirit of his," Lou murmured. "I don't know what it is, but it's dangerously powerful and I don't think any other Shaman could stand against it."

"It's the Spirit of Fire," Uran explained. "A God-Class being that is one of five elemental spirits that were worshipped by the Patch long ago. Then when Hao reincarnated as a Patch, he stole the Spirit of Fire and apparently it's reincarnated with him."

"Can't you guys get it back somehow?" I turned to Rutherfor, who shook her head.

"The only thing our people could do was seal the other elemental spirits in the Underworld, so Hao couldn't obtain them either," Ratherfor responded bitterly.

This made me flinch. "Even though he has full control over his soul?"

Rutherfor gave me an odd look. "How did you know that?"

"I think he tried to recruit me through a dream I had on the way here," I answered.

"I'm not sure if Hao has that kind of power." Rutherfor frowned. "He probably employed one of his Shaman followers who could enter people's dreams to do that for him. But, I'll discuss this with Chief Goldva to be sure."

Then Rutherfor left as soon as she came, while Annabelle arrived afterward carrying the dolls she bought at the gift-shop.

"Is it just me, or did Rutherfor seem more distant than usual?" Annabelle remarked.

"Yeah, there's definitely something odd going on," Uran concurred. "Though it could be that the Patch know Hao is a threat, but they don't want to take immediate action against him fearing it'll disrupt the tournament."

"Who cares about the tournament!" Lou snapped. "It means nothing compared to Hao."

"No, the tournament means everything in relation to Hao," Uran corrected. "While he does have a chance at winning the tournament, he's also competing against dozens of other Shamans with powerful spirits."

"But that would explain the followers," Annabelle pointed out. "He's trying to have less competition by getting more Shamans to join him rather than fight them."

"Yet there are just as many Shamans who strongly oppose Hao," Uran counter-argued. "Such as the X-Laws, for instance."

Just as I was about to speak, more individuals showed up. Unlike the ones who followed Hao that were fairly diverse in terms of clothing and skin-color, these new arrivals were mostly pale-skinned and wore matching white uniforms. They also seemed to be carrying a strange iron coffin with them which baffled me.

"Is that an Iron Maiden?" Annabelle said to Uran, who nodded in turn. "So they're Christians?"

"Christian Shamans, to be exact," Uran confirmed. "The X-Laws is a reference to the Ten Commandments, which this group strongly believes in and hope to impose upon the rest of the world."

"They seem pretty intimidating," Lou observed, relinquishing the Lightning Shot Oversoul. "I'm not sure whether to like 'em, or be afraid of them."

To be continued…


	30. 30th Star: Meetings and Improvements

30th Star: Meetings and Improvements

After Hao, his followers, and the X-Laws arrived, I was greeted by the sight of the boy I presumed was Yoh Asakura. His companions, though, were an odd bunch. One was a tall man with a pompadour growing, the other was a boy with a spike of black hair and burning yellow eyes, and the third was another boy with blue hair and he wore a heavy winter jacket. Though I was comforted by seeing Yoh's face, it really struck me how similar he and Hao were physically which slightly unnerved me.

"So what are all the dolls for, Annie?" Lou asked Annabelle.

"Well, seeing how you and Shizu improved your Oversouls recently, I think it's time that I did the same," Annabelle reluctantly answered, and went inside.

From that point on, Annabelle would let neither me or Lou watch her progress on creating a new Oversoul. But because Uran's home was a one-room dwelling, she started spending more time with the Patch healer Zin who was an elderly woman. In the meantime, I worked up the courage to talk to Yoh. He didn't seem surprised to know I was his cousin from the Asakura Branch Family, which he wasn't aware of until I told him. I also talked about how his mother helped me improve my Oversoul and showed Hoshi along with the other Shikigami. Delighted by them, Yoh remarked how they were similar to his grandfather's Shikigami which possessed individual leaves instead of paper only he found mine less scary by comparison.

Then a rumor started to spread around the village that the Second-Half of the Second Round of the Shaman King Tournament would involve a series of battles where Shamans would fight each other in teams of three. So Lou Annabelle and I went to Uran to confirm this, since we couldn't find Rutherfor anywhere, and he reluctantly confirmed this rumor. Then Chief Goldva himself made a public announcement about it, causing Lou and Annabelle to seek out future teammates while I was left in the dust. Apart from Yoh, thee was no one else I trusted. To my surprise, though, Annabelle rejoined me a week later followed by Lou.

"What's wrong, guys?" I asked, noticing their distraught looks. "You couldn't find any Shamans to team up with?"

"There was a group of cowboy Shamans, just like me," Lou began. "But they wouldn't accept me because my name didn't begin with 'J'."

"The only Shamans that interested me turned out to be followers of Hao, so I wanted nothing to do with them," Annabelle said after a pause. "Even though two of them had dolls for Mediums, and one was British."

"That's too bad," I said sympathetically.

"So, because I have no one else to turn to, I've decided to become your teammate," Annabelle replied, looking irritated.

"Same here," Lou added. "I really enjoy your company, Shizu, despite our rough beginning. Even if I have to put up with Ol' Annie here."

"Hey!" Annabelle hit Lou on the head, causing him to flinch while I laughed.

###

Almost two months later, the remaining Shamans including myself were flown away from the Patch Village to a remote island in Japan. Here, a large stadium had been built along with some Japanese-style houses and a few businesses including a mini-mart and a coffeeshop. As soon as we arrived, though, we were required to register our team names and the members within them. Through a unanimous decision, though Annabelle was initially reluctant about it, me her and Lou decided to call ourselves Team LouAnnShi after combining our names together in several ways. After all the teams had been registered, a giant chart was posted near the stadium showing the match-ups and the rounds in the official tournament. Apart from Team Funbari Springs, which I guessed was Yoh's team since he and Anna lived there, all the other names struck me as odd. Yet there were some that had a distinct pattern such as the letter 'X,' which I guessed were the X-Law teams, and the suffix 'Gumi'. Teams that had the latter included the words Tsuki, Hana, Tsuchi, Hoshi, and Seishin.

"Moon, Flower, Earth, Star, and Spirit," I recited. "Who do you think is in those teams?"

"I'm not sure," Lou responded. "But if I had to guess, they're probably Hao and his followers since the names are all based on elements in nature, like his Guardian Spirit."

Thinking back to the Spirit of Fire, I instinctively shivered and went to check up on Annabelle at our lodging. Instead of the door being locked, like it had been since Annabelle was continuing to improve her Oversoul, it was open. Walking inside, I noticed Annabelle sitting crosslegged on the floor with four dolls in front of her. Made from wood, they were dressed in clothes made from cotton though their hair appeared to be real. While one resembled Roger, who had short brown hair and wore a blue coat with grey trousers, another resembled Annabelle with the same long black hair and red lacy dress. The other two I didn't recognize, as one appeared to be a woman with black hair tied into a bun and wearing a grey dress while the other was a bald man in a yellow robe.

Then Annabelle suddenly muttered, " _Dharmakaya_."

This caused her to slump down in turn. As I expected the glowing yellow orb that represented her soul to emerge from her body, I watched as a glowing version of Annabelle herself appeared instead. Bathed in golden light, she stretched her fingers out to the dolls as strings made of light emerged from her fingertips and attached themselves to each doll. In a matter of seconds, the dolls stood up on their own and looked at each other. Afterwards, they saw me and took out some small knives they had concealed beneath their clothes.

" _It's all right,_ " Annabelle's voice said as the ethereal form of hers turned around to face me. " _She's a friend._ "

To be continued…


	31. 31st Star: Gandhara

31st Star: Gandhara

After Annabelle returned to her own body, she explained her new Oversoul to me and Lou once he arrived back at our lodging. Essentially, after weeks of intense meditation, Annabelle's soul had transcended into an enlightened form known as Dharmakaya. This in turn allowed her to possess the dolls with small enough fragments of her own soul to not be completely vulnerable body-wise which granted her the ability to communicate with us in soul form without needing to be inside a doll's body to do that.

"Sweet!" Lou remarked after Annabelle finished explaining. "So we got two Sacred-Class spirits on our team. Guess I'm the only one who's stuck with a Normal-Class spirit."

In response, Bill Kidman's ghost appeared.

"But that's not entirely a bad thing," I said. "Your Lightning Shot Oversoul should more than make up for the class of your spirit."

"Not if we're going up against beings like the Spirit of Fire, though," Annabelle pointed out.

"We'll worry about that when the time comes," I insisted. "But right now, we should concentrate on our first match which is coming up."

"Right," Lou nodded. "And who are we going up against again?"

"Team Salvation, I think," I responded, recalling what I saw on the board.

"Sounds like an X-Law group, or something like them," Annabelle noted.

"Maybe, but I don't think they're a X-Law group since they don't have the letter 'X' in their name," Lou figured. "Still, we should probably do some spying and figure out who exactly we're going up against."

"For once, I agree with the Cowboy," Annabelle said, nodding reluctantly. "Especially since we can't rely on Rutherfor anymore for information."

###

So while Lou and I attended the first match of the official Shaman King Tournament which was between Team Ren and Team Tsuchi-Gumi, who did turn out to be affiliated with Hao, Annabelle used her new Oversoul to seek out the members of Team Salvation who were presumably in the crowd of Shamans that were watching the match. When she wasn't able to find them, though, we waited until the next match which was between Team Nile and Team X-I. Not only was I correct in assuming the latter team was part of the X-Laws, but they also turned out to be quite powerful. This was especially true for their leader Jeanne, who kept herself locked in the Iron Maiden I saw the X-Laws carry into the Patch Village before until near the end of the match when she used her God-Class spirit to wipe out the entirety of Team Nile and their spirits. Coincidentally, Annabelle managed to find Team Salvation in the crowd though she didn't seem happy when reporting this to us.

"What's wrong?" I asked Annabelle. "Who did you see?"

"I saw…" Annabelle paused. "My teacher, Guru Tashi…"

"The same one who taught you and your dad the Pho Ba Ritual?"

"Yes," Annabelle murmured. "He was sitting next to Pastor Hogarth, that awful priest you told us about, Shizu."

"What?" I exclaimed. "How could Hogarth have gotten this far? I remember seeing him before we left for America, but—

"Guess he's stubbornly thinking that defeating you in the Shaman King Tournament will make you go home," Lou guessed, interrupting my train of thought. "But what I don't get is why your teacher would be here, Annie. Did he say anything about participating in the Shaman King Tournament before you left?"

"No," Annabelle replied. "In fact, he was the one who encouraged me to participate in it thinking I might find my father more easily."

"That's weird," remarked Lou. "Because I would assume your father who want nothing to do with the tournament if his whole reason for learning the Pho Ba Ritual in the first place was to find your mom in reincarnated form, unless…"

"He wasn't able to successfully possess the body of the person my reincarnated mother is with, or find her for that matter," Annabelle speculated. "And my teacher knew this, so he sent me to this tournament thinking my father would try to become Shaman King to either bring my mother back to life entirely or reincarnate with her assuming her next life won't be for sometime."

"Well, in either case, who's the third member?" I abruptly said, trying to steer the conversation back on track.

"I'm not sure," Annabelle answered. "He looked very old, with a lot of rings on his fingers and a giant crown on his head."

###

After seeing Team Funbari Springs' match against a group of northern Shamans called the Icemen, me and the others decided to train with our Oversouls and come up with strategies for fighting Team Salvation.

"So if we're assuming Hogarth is going to do what he did at the hospital after I accidentally shot you, where's he gonna get the bodies to take control of?" Lou wondered after letting his Oversoul falter. "I mean, I'm pretty sure he can't use random members from the crowd to fight for him."

"If the Patch are allowing a team that uses literal zombies to fight in the Shaman King Tournament, then what's to stop Hogarth from doing that?" Annabelle said, causing me and Lou to give her odd looks.

"Zombies?" Lou exclaimed. "Where'd you hear that from?"

"When I was trying to find out more about Team Salvation's third member, I overhead a conversation about a group called Team Haiti 800, whose Shamans can apparently summon zombies, and their future match against something called 'Gandhara.'"

"There wasn't a group with that name listed on the board," I responded.

"No, but there were similar-sounding names on the board like 'Tathagata' and 'Deva,'" Lou pointed out. "Maybe it's another Shaman group that's similar to the X-Laws and Hao's group in terms of size."

"Ugh," Annabelle groaned. "Sometimes I think we're out of our league in this tournament."

Then as Annabelle stormed off angrily, Lou left to comfort her so I went to find Uran. Sure enough, he was in the island's coffeeshop. Happy to see me, we went on a walk along a beach where I caught him up with things. But when I mentioned the name 'Gandhara,' he flinched.

"So you know who they are?" I said irritably. "Why didn't you mention them back when we were in the Patch Village?"

"It…kind of slipped my mind," Uran admitted. "They're a very old Shaman group, more than the X-Laws or Hao for that matter, and their approach to things is typically neutral."

"What do you mean?"

"Because they practice Buddhism, they never get involved with the affairs of the Shamanic world unless they have to."

"Like this tournament?"

"Exactly."

"But what do they hope to accomplish?"

"Well, Rutherfor claims they want to stop Hao from becoming the next Shaman King though they're not being as open about it compared to the X-Laws."

"I see."

To be continued…


	32. 32nd Star: Sins of Salvation (Part 1)

**Sorry for the long delay on this. Been busy with my freelance writing lately and not had time to update my fanfics in a while.**

32nd Star: Sins of Salvation (Part 1)

When the day of the match came, Lou Annabelle and I were led to the stadium by Rutherfor. There, we were brought into a locker-room and told to wait there. So we took the time to make the necessary wardrobe changes and check our Mediums to make sure they were in good condition. A few minutes later, our team name was announced which we took as the queue to leave the locker-room.

Fortunately, there were signs that pointed us in the right direction and we soon stepped out into a round dirt-covered arena with crowds of people occupying the seats. Meanwhile Radim, the Patch Officiant who announced the fights, stood nearby. He had long spiky black hair, wore dark sunglasses, and held a totem pole-shaped microphone.

" _All right, guys, the past few fights have been pretty exciting so far!_ " As he spoke into the microphone, Radim's voice echoed throughout the stadium. " _Now let's see how Team LouAnnShi fares in their fight against Team Salvation!_ "

From the other side of the stadium appeared three men. One was Pastor Hogarth, who immediately glared at me as he wore a robe that was white with a black cross around his neck. Then there was the elderly man Annabelle spoke of that had a giant crown on his head which shadowed his face, while rings decorated his fingers and he wore a regal-looking cape on. The third man was bald, tan-skinned, and wore an orange robe. Remembering that one of Annabelle's dolls looked exactly like the third man, I wondered if he was her real-life Shamanic teacher Guru Tashi.

" _Quite the odd mixture of Shamans we've got here!_ " Radim remarked. " _On the one hand, we've got a Japanese star girl, a British chick with a doll fetish and a kid who looks like he's dressed up for a rodeo!_ "

While Annabelle attempted to activate her Oversoul, Lou held her back.

" _Then on the other side, we have some religious nuts who apparently weren't good enough for the X-Laws or Gandhara for that matter!_ " Seeing the glares of the three men on Team Salvation, Radim gulped and said, " _Anyway, let's go over the rules again! When I tell you to start, activate your Oversouls and maintain them for as long as possible. You may use any means necessary to fight your opponent, and any outside interference is not allowed. Until one or both teams are unable to maintain their Oversouls anymore, the match is over. If one or both teams refuse to fight, the match is null. The winners will continue onto the next round, while the losers may stay for the remainder of the tournament with consultation prizes in store. Any questions?_ "

In response, the crowd booed angrily.

" _Fine!_ " Radim replied. " _Then let the match…begin!_ "

While I summoned Hoshi and his friends, Annabelle used Dharmakaya to animate the dolls that emerged from under her dress as her glowing soul floated above them, and Lou fired up his Lightning Shot rifle. Meanwhile, Hogarth muttered several prayers along with the presumed Guru Tashi as the elderly man with the crown flexed his fingers as the rings on them glowed.

" _Okay, it looks like Team Salvation is starting things off with a collective prayer session_ ," Radim observed. " _Not sure why they're doing that now of all times, but maybe they're trying to save our souls or something. So what will Team LouAnnShi do? Attack three defenseless zealots, or wait for them to finish?_ "

"I think you know the answer to that one," Lou responded, aiming the rifle at the three men before shouting, "Lightning Shot! Flying Bullet!"

" _Wait, don't!_ " Annabelle's spirit cried.

But the rifle fired and a single bullet flew from it. Before it reached the three men, though, a wall of flying creatures appeared which got shocked by the bullet's energy before falling down.

" _Whoa! I don't believe it!_ " Radim exclaimed. " _Lou Reins of Team LouAnnShi just zapped a bunch of literal demons out of the sky!_ "

"Demons?" Lou flinched. "Where'd they come from?"

" _That man,_ " Annabelle's spirit answered, pointing to the elderly man with the crown. " _I saw his Mana channeling through the rings on his hands, which created small dust-size demons that grew larger as soon as the bullet approached them._ "

"Yes," the elderly man said in a menacing growl. "But this is just a taste of my Oversoul: Seal of Aandaleeb, which allows me to summon as many demons from Hell as I see fit!"

Then the elderly man raised his hands, causing more winged creatures to appear. Upon seeing their fallen brethren, they immediately flew towards me and the others. As literal fire burned in their eyes, their sharp teeth were bared and they made agonizing screams which frightened both Lou and Annabelle. I, on the other hand, merely closed my eyes and shouted, "Ryūsei-gun! Shield Mode!"

Immediately, Hoshi and his friends circled around and their combined auras created a bright orb that encompassed me Lou and Annabelle. The demons immediately hit the orb's surface and bounced off of it.

" _Talk about star power!_ " Radim said. " _Shizu Rakugaki of Team LouAnnShi has summoned several Shikigami to the field in the form of paper stars and they appear to have created an impenetrable shield made of pure energy that's giving the demons a hard time!_ "

Though the demons tried scratching the shield and breathing fire on it, nothing seemed to work. However, I knew that if they managed to harm either Hoshi or any of his friends that they would get hurt.

" _Lower the shield,_ " Annabelle's spirit insisted. " _This stalemate isn't going to get us anywhere!_ "

Agreeing with her, I mentally commanded Hoshi and the others to release the energy from the shield which briefly blinded the demons but distracted them long enough for Annabelle's dolls to attack them with small knives. Surprisingly, several of them were caught off-guard and were taken out with a few stabs to the throat and chest.

" _Yikes!_ " Cried Radim. " _Guess you shouldn't underestimate children's playthings when they're used as Oversouls, as Annabelle Lee of Team LouAnnShi demonstrates_."

Despite the number of fallen demons, the rest retreated back to the elderly man and were absorbed into his rings.

"It seems I underestimated you three," the elderly man responded. "So it would only seem fair to properly introduce myself. I am Jedidiah of Israel, but I'm better known as King Solomon."

To be continued…


	33. 33rd Star: Sins of Salvation (Part 2)

33rd Star: Sins of Salvation (Part 2)

"King Solomon?" Lou exclaimed. "From the Bible?"

"In the flesh," the elderly man with the crown responded. "I participated in the Shaman King Tournament a long time ago, and lost to Jesus of Nazareth who went onto the Final Round and won. Now, I have another shot at claiming my rightful title as—

"Take it easy, Solomon," Pastor Hogarth interrupted, putting a hand on the elderly man's shoulder. "We shouldn't get ahead of ourselves, and concentrate on winning the battle in front of us. Now if you would be so kind, Guru Tashi and I would like to take care of these children."

So reluctantly, the elderly man claiming to be Solomon stepped back as Hogarth and the bald man confirmed as Guru Tashi stepped forward. While Lou pretended to reload the Lightning Shot, even though the bullet was lying a few feet from Hogarth and Tashi, Annabelle's spirit suddenly gasped in surprise.

" _You're not Guru Tashi!_ " Annabelle's spirit realized. " _But…my father…_ "

"That's right," the man who was called Guru Tashi said as the golden aura of a figure that looked like Roger the doll appeared over Guru Tashi's body. "I was your father, and have reincarnated in this body."

"You mean taken it over?" Lou remarked. "Given it took Hao five hundred years to reincarnate each time, I find it unlikely you were able to reincarnate so quickly."

" _There is…some truth to that_ ," replied the figure above Guru Tashi in a British accent. " _In life, I was Jonathan Lee who was an English scholar with a beautiful wife and lovely daughter. When my wife died of a sudden illness, though, I couldn't let her go. So I sought a way to bring her back, and discovered the Pho Ba Ritual._

" _I met Guru Tashi himself, and became his pupil hoping to learn the technique that would allow me to transfer myself into the body of someone close to my reincarnated wife. But Guru Tashi refused to teach it to me, so I killed him. Though seeing you here, Annabelle, leads me to suspect his spirit must have taken physical form_."

"How's that possible?" Lou asked. "Ghosts can't just make themselves physical without a Medium, right?"

" _That is normally the case, but there is a type of ghost called a Tulpa which is actually a mental projection created by the Buddhist monk who casts it_ ," Annabelle said. " _Then overtime, this mere projection takes on physical form depending on how self-aware it becomes. So the Guru Tashi who taught me—_

"Must have been his Tulpa, which he created before he died and it stayed hidden until I left in this body," Jonathan/Guru Tashi interjected. "Then as I went looking for my reincarnated wife, I ran into Pastor Hogarth who told me you were planning to participate in the Shaman King Tournament. Knowing this, I figured you might ruin my plan to reunite with your mother."

" _But she's gone!_ " Annabelle insisted. " _If you couldn't find her between killing Guru Tashi and participating in this tournament, then maybe she hasn't reincarnated yet_."

"I'm aware of that possibility, Annabelle, so becoming the Shaman King will help me speed thing up faster," Jonathan argued.

Then around the spirit of Jonathan appeared several apparitions of starving individuals with bloated stomachs small mouths and red hair that was falling out.

" _Oversoul: Feast of the Hungry Ghosts!_ " Jonathan's spirit proclaimed as the apparitions laid their mouths upon different parts of his glowing body.

To everyone's horror, these Hungry Ghosts as Jonathan called them bit off pieces of his spirit's flesh leaving gaping holes in the process. Then the Hungry Ghosts suddenly became less transparent as indicated by their greenish skin becoming more solid.

" _Whoa, boy! I was certainly not expecting Hungry Ghosts to show up in this tournament!_ " Radim said through his microphone, though his normally confident tone had a hint of fear to it. " _For those who don't know, Hungry Ghosts are vengeful spirits that arise from unfortunate deaths or neglect from their living relatives. Don't let them go near you, or they'll take possession of your soul and eat it to their hearts' content…assuming they even have hearts_."

As Radim spoke, the Hungry Ghosts turned their attention to my group and flew towards us. It was then that Lou shouted, "Lightning Shot! Ricochet Bullet!"

Then the bullet which had fallen close to Hogarth and Tashi's body went flying back bouncing off the backs of the Hungry Ghosts which electrified them in the process and made them fall.

"They're all yours, Annie!" Lou declared, catching the bullet in his hand.

With some hesitation, Annabelle commanded her dolls to stab the Hungry Ghosts before they could get back up. Just then, I noticed a ghostly apparition over Hogarth as dark shapes emerged from its body.

"Get the dolls back here!" I cried. "Ryūsei-gun! Shield Mode!"

So Annabelle summoned her dolls back as I raised the energy shield created by Hoshi and his friends. Meanwhile, the black shapes merged with the Hungry Ghosts causing their skin to become paler as their bodies became more warped and crooked than before. Then instead of floating, they rose to their feet revealing they now had black crosses on their foreheads and blackened eyes as black fluid oozed from their mouths.

"What the heck?" Lou flinched. "Is this that demon possession thing you said Hogarth was capable of?"

"Yes, but I thought he had to touch someone to do it and I didn't think it was possible with ghosts," I said, looking at Hogarth who now had a malicious grin on his face.

"To answer your questions, I do not need to touch someone to have them be possessed by my Guardian Spirit's demons and I wasn't aware that demons could possess ghosts until just now," Hogarth said. "I was originally aiming for your friend's dolls, but it seems the Hungry Ghosts are a good enough substitute after they gained physical form from consuming Jonathan's soul."

It was then that the apparition above Hogarth became more visible. What it turned out to be was a young woman who looked pale and malnourished wearing a white hospital gown with messy black hair covering her face.

To be continued…


	34. 34th Star: Sins of Salvation (Part 3)

34th Star: Sins of Salvation (Part 3)

"This is Anne Metzger," Hogarth stated, making a sweeping gesture toward the apparition with the black hair and hospital gown. "She was possessed by many demons which forced her to have multiple exorcisms throughout her life. Unfortunately, she died of malnutrition during her last exorcism causing her to remain on this plane of existence. Fortunately, I managed to tame her demons which are now under my control."

"I thought you didn't know ghosts could be possessed by demons until now," I pointed out.

"The demons didn't possess Anne in the afterlife," Hogarth said. "I merely use her to channel the demons from their vessel, turning them into my Oversoul: Sins of Salvation!"

Meanwhile, the demon-possessed Hungry Ghosts resumed their attack on me Lou and Annabelle. While the shield Hoshi and his friends created prevented them from getting close to us, they were surprisingly strong despite their weak bodies.

"Lou," I said. "Is there some way you can shock these things without shooting your gun?"

"I'm not sure," Lou responded, holding up his bullet. "The electricity that the Lighting Shot Oversoul produces comes from the friction of the gunshot and momentum of the bullet itself, so I don't know if Bill can generate the same amount of energy without the extra boost."

" _But there is one thing we can do,_ " Annabelle's spirit spoke up. " _I can take possession of Guru Tashi's body in order to confront my father directly, which will undoubtedly draw the Hungry Ghosts' attention since my father's spirit is their source of energy._ "

"But they're currently possessed by the demons Hogarth inserted into their bodies so they may not get distracted so easily," I pointed out. "Plus, you'll be vulnerable to being attacked by Hogarth and Solomon."

"Then we gotta take care of the demons first," Lou said, reloading the bullet into the Lightning Shot rifle.

Groaning in irritation, Annabelle's spirit slipped through the energy shield flying straight past the Hungry Ghosts and into Guru Tashi's body. Naturally, Hogarth and Solomon were surprised by this as I lowered the shield allowing Lou to fire his rifle. Using the Ricochet attack, he not only stunned the Hungry Ghosts but also Hogarth and Solomon who all collapsed onto the ground as the bullet returned back to Lou's hand.

" _Unbelievable!_ " Radim exclaimed, gripping his microphone tightly. " _Lou of Team LouAnnShi just singlehandedly stunned all the Hungry Ghosts and two members of Team Salvation while Annabelle's spirit has merged with the body of Guru Tashi! Now that does leave Shizu unprotected against the demons that are now floating around. How will she handle them?_ "

Indeed, the black shapes were now floating over the Hungry Ghosts resembling the demons that Solomon summoned earlier as they had distinct features such as horns fangs and claws. Then as they flew towards me, I shouted, "Ryūsei-gun! Explosion!"

This caused Hoshi and his friends to spin around in a circle so rapidly as they produced a bright ball of energy that became so concentrated that it suddenly burst forth knocking everyone who was still standing including myself Lou and Guru Tashi whose body was convulsively twitching. It also caused the demons to lose their form and disappear into something sticking out of Hogarth's pocket while the Hungry Ghosts became more transparent. As a result, they floated up towards me and Lou who were still lying on the ground which a sudden cry caught their attention. From the body of Guru Tashi emerged Jonathan's spirit, which floated into the Hungry Ghosts' midst causing them to gather around and consume it to their hearts' content.

Naturally, everyone was horrified by this as the Hungry Ghosts took physical form once more while Guru Tashi's body moved. Above it, Annabelle's spirit appeared as she sent strings of light towards her dolls which took out their knives and attacked the Hungry Ghosts' feet and legs. So I assisted her in turn by commanding Hoshi and his friends to cut the Hungry Ghosts to shreds.

Meanwhile, Lou reloaded the bullet into the rifle and shouted, "Lightning Shot! Fatal Shock!"

This time, the bullet didn't just stun the Hungry Ghosts but it went straight through where their hearts would be causing them to shrivel and vanish. A moment of silence followed as Annabelle's spirit returned to her own body before the crowds suddenly cheered.

" _Amazing!_ " Radim stated, gripping his microphone tightly. " _Despite the overwhelming power of Team Salvation's Guardian Spirits, Team LouAnnShi managed to overcome them using teamwork and just a bit of luck! Thus, they win this round of the Shaman King Tournament!_ "

Just as I nearly collapsed from exhaustion, I looked at the crowd seeing Yoh clapping while his companions gave him weird looks. But then I noticed Hao was staring directly at me further up, causing me to look away.

###

While Lou and Annabelle were being checked on by the medics in the locker-room area, I decided to see Hogarth who was being berated by Solomon in the hallway outside.

"This is all your fault!" Solomon snapped. "If you had let my demons handle those brats instead of letting that poor girl's monsters and that freak of the afterlife Jonathan attack, we would have won that round for sure!"

"My apologies, King Solomon," Hogarth said, sounding more humble than usual. "I clearly underestimated Shizu and her friends' abilities."

Frowning, Solomon responded, "As punishment for your incompetency and partial responsibility for Jonathan's true demise, I'm taking away the demons sealed in your rosary."

Before Hogarth could stop him, Solomon reached into Hogarth's pocket and pulled out the same black rosary beads that Hogarth wore at the hospital with the red lettering on them. Then he held the beads up to his rings, causing them to glow as the shadowy demons were sucked in.

"You're no longer bound to this man, child," Solomon said as the ghost of Anne Metzger appeared between him and Hogarth. "You may go wherever you please."

In response, Anne Metzger parted her hair showing a sullen face with gray eyes and a small mouth. Then she gasped upon noticing me, causing Hogarth and Solomon to look.

"This is awkward," Hogarth noted. "Here to gloat over your victory, Shizu Rakugaki?"

"No, I just wanted to talk," I said nervously.

To be continued…


	35. 35th Star: Missing Souls

35th Star: Missing Souls

After talking things over with Hogarth, he agreed to no longer pester me into going home since I had beaten him in a Shamanic battle fair and square. It also turned out that King Solomon was also an Exorcist Shaman, and one of the first ones at that, hence his demon-controlling abilities. Meanwhile, Anne Metzger's ghost decided to stay with Hogarth in order to help him come to terms with his own imperfections as a Pastor. So the two of them decided to leave the island with Solomon who used an Oversoul shaped like a demonic whale, which swam away with its passengers so quickly that Lou and I barely got the chance to wave at them.

"You know, I'm going to miss Solomon," Lou admitted. "Sure, he tried to kill us with his demons but he's clearly not a bad person given that he humiliated Hogarth."

"I suppose so," I said, and noticed something. "Where's Annabelle?"

"Oh, she's back at the lodge," Lou responded. "I think she was still crying over what happened to her dad."

Thinking about the Hungry Ghosts devouring Jonathan's spirit made me shiver.

"It also didn't help that I tried telling her to get over it," Lou admitted after a pause. "I know what happened to him what horrible, but he did murder an innocent monk to obtain his body to reunite with his long-dead wife which is pretty selfish if you think about it."

"But he was still her father," I argued. "What if the same thing happened to yours? Wouldn't you feel bad regardless of what he did?"

"I would, but my pa didn't kill nobody."

"Really? Your great-grandfather murdered Bill Kidman in cold blood, yet Bill's ghost doesn't bare a grudge against you. So why criticize Annabelle for feeling sad at her father's passing despite his past crimes?"

Lou looked astray and then he started walking away. Instinctively, I followed him through the forest beside the seaside cliff that we watched Solomon and Hogarth leave on. We didn't get very far when a series of terrified screams were heard some ways off, forcing me and Lou to run towards them. Eventually, we arrived in a clearing where the bodies of Maju and Mint Mendoza lay on the grass with their throats bleeding and their eyes looking terrified. Nearby, there were obvious scorch marks while the cat Beltza was nowhere to be seen.

"What happened?" I said out loud, unsure of how to process the scene in front of me.

"It looks like someone murdered these two kids," Lou stated. "Do you know them?"

"Yes," I reluctantly nodded. "Annabelle and I fought them during the Preliminary Round of the Shaman King Tournament. They had the power to summon two Basque Gods named Mari and Sugaar, but we won through sheer luck if I'm being honest with myself."

"What was their team name?"

"Zugarra."

Lou and I flinched, seeing Rutherfor floating down from the sky in her Grey Saucer Oversoul. In her hands she was holding Beltza, who was shaking constantly.

"If you know that much, were you here when this slaughter happened?" Lou asked.

Rutherfor shook her head. "Beltza ran over to me not too long ago, so I figured something was wrong and decided to check it out. What about you two?"

"We just got here," I answered. "And we didn't touch anything."

"Good, because that'll help your case regarding this obvious murder," Rutherfor said. "I'll inform Chief Goldva about this."

###

Later that night, Rutherfor came to my team's lodging to inform us that me and Lou were declared innocent in the deaths of Maju and Mint Mendoza but there was no conclusion about who the murderer could be.

"Did the kids have a match against anyone recently?" Lou abruptly asked. "And what do their ghosts have to say?"

"They lost to Team Seishin-Gumi today," Rutherfor answered bluntly. "And there were no ghosts next to their bodies."

"But how can that be?" I exclaimed. "Did their ghosts pass onto the Afterlife?"

"Given how violent their deaths were, I highly doubt it," replied Rutherfor. "So my guess is that someone stole their ghosts."

"Could anyone in Seishin-Gumi have the power to do that?" Lou said.

"We questioned them not too long ago, and none of them have the power to steal souls," Rutherfor stated.

Lou thought for a moment before saying, "Did they bear any sort of grudge against the kids?"

Rutherfor shook her head, and turned to Annabelle. "Now where were you?"

"Here," Annabelle answered weakly. "Ask Uran if you don't believe me. He came by here earlier."

"Was this before or after the time the murders took place?" Rutherfor asked.

"During, I think," replied Annabelle.

###

After Rutherfor questioned Uran, Annabelle was also cleared of being a suspect. But this didn't make me or Lou feel any better knowing that there was a murderer on this island. So we decided to get our minds off the whole thing by seeing the fight between Hao's own team Hoshi-Gumi and one of the X-Law teams X-III while Annabelle stayed at the lodge to mope some more. But what we witnessed was even more gruesome than the Mendozas' murder as we watched Hao singlehandedly take out everyone in Team X-III and feed their souls to the Spirit of Fire. This left a heavy silence over the stadium as everyone left with shocked faces including me and Lou.

While Lou decided to head back to the lodge to check up on Annabelle, I chose to walk in the woods. But because Lou insisted that I protect myself, I summoned Hoshi and his friends to watch over me. Suddenly, a twig snapped behind me causing Hoshi and his friends to extend their points. Turning around, I saw Hao standing behind me with no one standing near him.

"What do you want?" I demanded, trying to sound brave despite the fear in my voice.

"I'm flattered that you saw my match with the X-Laws," Hao said, smiling. "Though it was ultimately pointless, I hope it was educational for you."

Thinking back to the scorch marks near the Mendozas, I realized, "Were you the one who killed the Mendoza siblings and took their souls?"

"So what if I did?" Hao responded nonchalantly. "Now their souls are being put to good use as Mana for the Spirit of Fire."

"You're a monster," I growled.

Flinching, Hao said, "That's not the first time I've heard someone call me that, but it's a first coming from my own cousin."

Shocked by Hao's words, Hoshi and his friends instantly reverted back to paper stars as they fell all around me.

To be continued…


	36. 36th Star: Powerless

36th Star: Powerless

"Cousin?" I repeated, not believing what I was saying.

"That's right," Hao replied. "After reincarnating as a member of the Patch tribe five hundred years ago, I reincarnated as Yoh's twin brother. I take it he didn't tell you?"

Reluctantly, I shook my head.

"Well, it doesn't matter," Hao said, walking closer to me. "You may have gotten away from me in that dream, but there's nowhere to run to on this island."

Moving backward, I hit the trunk of a nearby tree and froze as Hao stopped right in front of me stepping over the paper stars as he did so.

"When I was born, Grandfather Yohmei tried to kill me," Hao said in a low voice. "But thanks to the Spirit of Fire, I was able to safely get away. Now I'm closer to achieving my goal compared to my previous lives while you're wasting your time with a worthless boy and a pathetic girl."

"I don't care what you think of my friends," I frowned. "I'm not joining you and that's final."

Hao paused for a moment and then he smiled. "Maybe you'll change your mind after your team fights against Seishin-Gumi and loses."

"What makes you think we'll lose?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Then Hao walked away from me as I slid down the tree trunk.

Sometime later, Lou and Annabelle found me crying as I reluctantly told them what Hao said.

"He must be lying to throw you off your groove," Lou figured.

"But it would explain the uncanny resemblance between Yoh and Hao," Annabelle pointed out.

"Still, we gotta tell Uran and Rutherfor about Hao killing the Mendozas," Lou insisted, but I held him back.

"I'm sure Rutherfor already knows," I said while picking up Hoshi and his friends from the grass. "And telling Uran would be pointless."

"Why do you say that?" Lou asked.

"Before we left the stadium, I overheard some people in the crowd talking about other Shamans going missing along with their souls," I replied.

"And the Patch are doing nothing about it?" Lou clenched his fist. "Some moderators they are."

"They're probably just as afraid of Hao as everyone else," Annabelle said as I got up.

"That still doesn't excuse them from standing aside as fellow Shamans are getting murdered just so Hao can feed more souls to the Spirit of Fire in order to increase its Mana!" Lou insisted.

"Then what do you suggest we do? Go up against Hao ourselves?" Annabelle asked rhetorically. "Our Guardian Spirits are not powerful enough to take that Spirit of Fire down, let alone all of Hao's followers."

Lou was about to speak, but closed his mouth instead.

"Annabelle's right," I said in agreement. "The only thing we can do right now is concentrate on our upcoming match against Team Seishin-Gumi, who I'm certain is one of Hao's teams, and maybe do our own investigation into who really killed the Mendozas before their souls were fed to the Spirit of Fire."

###

After two days of intense training, my team arrived in the stadium where we were greeted by the sight of three young women. One was pale-skinned and dark-haired wore a black quarter-sleeve dress with red flower-shaped embroidery on it, while the second had dark blonde hair tan skin and was blindfolded by a white cloth that had a sun-shaped symbol on it while the rest of her clothing consisted of a plain white toga and gold-strapped sandals. Then the third had dark skin and frizzy hair wearing a brown top and skirt while the rest of her body was covered in white lines and dots.

" _All right, ladies and gents!_ " Radim announced, scanning the crowds. " _Not as big of a crowd today, I see. But regardless, this battle's sure to keep you interested since we're about to see Team LouAnnShi, who took out a whole swarm of demons and Hungry Ghosts in their first match, and Team Seishin-Gumi, who managed to take out two literal Gods during their first round, go toe-to-toe! Now without further ado, begin!_ "

So while I summoned Hoshi and his friends, Lou activated the Lightning Shot rifle while Annabelle's spirit emerged from her body though it didn't have as strong of a glow as before. Meanwhile, the frizzy-haired girl sat down cross-legged and closed her eyes while the dark-haired one plugged her ears. As for the blindfolded one, she took out some incense sticks that had already been lit and held them close to her nose.

"Apollo, Greek God of Music Premonition and the Sun," the blindfolded one said out loud. "I freely give my body to you to take out the enemies of Hao Asakura, who will lead this world to a new age where Shamans rule and the humans are gone. Thus, I shall enact my Oversoul: Delphic Foresight!"

In a flash of light, a tall figure appeared over the blindfolded girl's head. It was a fair-skinned youth with curly blond hair accented by a crown of laurels, wearing a white toga and gold sandals, while holding a golden harp in his hands.

" _Whoa, boy!_ " Radim exclaimed. " _Delia Atlas of Seishin-Gumi didn't waste any time and immediately summoned the God Apollo to the stadium! How will Team LouAnnShi react?_ "

"Lightning Shot! Flying Bullet!" Lou shouted as he fired the rifle.

To everyone's surprise, the bullet went right through Apollo's body as he casually handed his harp down to the blindfolded girl Delia who grabbed it causing the incense sticks to fall in the process. Though the harp was the same size as Delia, she managed to reach far enough and pluck the strings in a soothing melodic tune. As this happened, my vision started to grow blurry before going black altogether. Then I suddenly found myself standing in an empty desert with sparse trees and long grass alongside Lou.

"Wait, where are we?" Lou remarked.

"I don't know," I responded.

Just then, the frizzy-haired girl appeared on top of a nearby rock with a yellow dog by her side that I recognized from the dream I had with Hao in it.

To be continued…


	37. 37th Star: Hunter's Dream

37th Star: Hunter's Dream

"What is that?" Lou asked, looking at the yellow dog which growled at us.

"It's the same dog from the dream I had in America," I said.

Hearing this, the frizzy-haired girl frowned. "Daku is no dog! He is Dingo in Dreamtime but actually ancestor to Lowanna."

"Dreamtime?" I questioned. "Is that where we are?"

"It is land of dreams," the frizzy-haired girl answered. "Only Aboriginal Shaman like Lowanna can enter it, with Hao as exception."

"So you were the one who allowed Hao to enter my dreams," I realized.

"This Lowanna did," nodded the frizzy-haired girl. "But because you woke up suddenly, Lowanna was not able to kill you with Oversoul: Dingo Hunt. Now it's payback time!"

Then the frizzy-haired girl who referred to herself as Lowanna crouched over the Dingo known as Daku. Before me and Lou's eyes, the two merged into a single Dingo body that was slightly larger than a normal Dingo with the same markings Lowanna had all over it.

"Hold up!" Lou exclaimed. "I've heard of a Dingo before. They are wild dogs native to Australia, who target sheep and cattle making them a major problem to ranchers."

In response, the large Dingo barked and came running towards us.

"I don't think she liked what you said," I said, and then noticed something. "Wait, where did Hoshi and my other Shikigami go?"

"And my Lightning Shot rifle is gone!" Lou realized. "Guess you can't bring those things into the Dreamtime."

So we ended up dodging the large Dingo that was presumably Lowanna as it snapped its teeth at us. Then as the Dingo growled at me and Lou, I tried to look for some kind of weapon. Unfortunately, there was nothing around such as smaller rocks or even a stick. But when I stared at the nearby tree, an idea came to me.

"Let's head for the tree!" I told Lou. "Hopefully, Dingos can't climb."

Thus, Lou and I made a run for it while Lowanna ran at our heels. While Lou leaped up to the nearest branch and held on, I tried to do the same but the branch I held onto was weak compared to Lou's. So Lowanna was able to leap up and dig her front paws into my back, causing me to scream in pain. Then I felt a sudden pain on my ankles and jolted up finding myself back in the stadium. I was lying on the ground, while Lou was coming to as well. Near him were Annabelle's dolls which had made small cuts into his ankles, forcing me to look back and see the same cuts on my own ankles.

" _Sorry about that,_ " Annabelle's spirit apologized. " _It was the only thing I could think of to wake you two up._ "

"How long have we been out?" I asked. "And what happened?"

" _It seems Delia Atlas' music put you two to sleep, but I wasn't affected for some reason,_ " Annabelle explained. " _Though the Aboriginal girl over there doesn't look too happy._ "

Looking forward, I noticed Lowanna groggily coming to just as Delia stopped playing her harp in surprise while the dark-haired girl seemed shocked as well.

"What the hell, Lowanna?" The dark-haired girl snapped in a Russian accent, grabbing Lowanna's frizzy hair and pulling her to her feet. "This is the second time you've failed to kill Shizu for Hao!"

"It wasn't Lowanna's fault," Lowanna claimed. "Maybe Delia's music wasn't strong enough."

So the dark-haired girl glared at Delia. "Why didn't your music affect Annabelle's spirit form?"

"I-I'm not sure," Delia answered, looking embarrassed. "I can only play Apollo's Nighttime Hymn in the general direction of where my target is located, since I can't see them."

"Maybe if you took off that stupid blindfold, we wouldn't have this problem," the dark-haired girl growled, letting go of Lowanna's hair.

"It wouldn't make a difference, Maria, since I'm actually blind," Delia replied solemnly. "But I suspect it has to do with the fact that Annabelle's a spirit right now and not in her own body, thus she can't get physically tired."

" _This is incredible!_ " Radim exclaimed through his microphone-shaped Oversoul. " _When Delia used this same trance-like music on Maju and Mint Mendoza of Team Zugarra a few days ago, they went out like lights for several minutes before waking up with terrified looks begging to surrender. But it seems Shizu and Lou managed to overcome Lowanna's attack on them in the Dreamtime, which is the Aboriginal concept of a separate reality where dreams exist that certain Shamans can freely visit or bring others into. Now that they're fully awake, what will Team Seishin-Gumi's next move be?_ "

"You two are useless," the dark-haired girl known as Maria grumbled as she stepped forward. "Now let's see how these kids fare against a genuine Witch."

Maria then pulled out a silver sickle from the folds of her dress and held out her forearm. In one swift motion, she cut the inside of her elbow causing her to bleed profusely. But she seemed unconcerned as the blood formed into an elderly woman with long fingernails white hair and an ugly face. The elderly woman then cackled, causing me and Lou to freeze out of fear as she summoned a large mortar. The old woman then stomped it on the ground, causing a giant pedestal to appear around and below her till her upper half was sticking out.

" _If you guys missed the battle between Team Seishin-Gumi and Zugarra, Maria Cherny of Team Seishin-Gumi has the power to summon her powerful Witch of an ancestor Baba Yaga through her blood which can only be done if she cuts herself with a ceremonial sickle. Now unfortunately for Team LouAnnShi, Baba Yaga was the one who took out the Gods Mari and Sugaar while the Mendoza siblings fell asleep. So how they hope to fight against this old hag is anyone's guess!_ "

Frowning, Baba Yaga aimed her mortar at Radim which sent a blast of wind that knocked him off the place he was standing on. While this happened, Lou picked up his rifle and reactivated it while I had Hoshi and his friends create the energy shield around my team.

To be continued…


	38. 38th Star: Wrath of the Witch

38th Star: Wrath of the Witch

As Baba Yaga turned her attention to my team, she sent a powerful gale at us. Though the energy shield Hoshi and his friends generated was able to withstand it, Baba Yaga raised her other hand which caused a bolt of lightning to hit the shield which electrified my Shikigami's paper star Mediums scorching them in the process. This caused the shield to die down as me Annabelle and Lou got blown back by the wind. While Radim managed to get back on his feet and explain what was going on to the audience, all I could focus on was getting to Hoshi and the other paper stars.

Then just as Baba Yaga was about to raise her mortar again, Lou retrieved the bullet he fired earlier which stunned the back of Baba Yaga's head before returning back to his hand. Yet to everyone's surprise, Baba Yaga quickly recovered and started flying around in her pestle using the mortar like an oar. While she did this, more gusts of wind arose causing my paper stars and Annabelle's dolls to get blown around as Lou struggled to take aim of Baba Yaga once more.

" _Looks like Baba Yaga is turning out to be more than Team LouAnnShi can handle!_ " Radim announced. " _She's not only capable of flying around in her mortar and pestle, but also is able to use weather-based powers that make things more difficult for her opponents. Though I do have to wonder how long Maria is planning to do this for, considering how much she's bleeding._ "

"I'm fine!" Maria snapped, holding her hand over her wound which partially slowed the trickle of blood. "This match will be over soon."

" _Wait a minute,_ " Annabelle's spirit realized. " _If Baba Yaga's power comes from Maria's blood, then all we have to do is patch her up. Lou!_ "

"Yeah, Annie?" Lou said.

" _Shoot your Ricochet Bullet to stun the members of Team Seishin-Gumi, and then I'll have my dolls go over there and stop Maria's wound from bleeding more,_ " Annabelle's spirit responded. " _If my theory is correct, that should weaken Baba Yaga._ "

"But we have to get past Baba Yaga first," Lou pointed out. "And Shizu's friends look too fried to help us."

Indeed as I managed to brave the winds and pick up the paper stars, they were darkly singed as the Shikigami's yellow eyes blinked weakly at me. Seeing this made my throat tighten, as I recited their names once more: Hoshi, Ishi, Kori, Tetsu, Iowa, Dou, and Netsu. Though blue black white gray brown orange and red lights glowed over each paper star of the same color, the Shikigami only hovered a few feet in the air before they got blown away by another gust of wind sent by Baba Yaga.

 _How could I have let this happen?_ I thought as I fell to my knees. _My friends are depending on me, and I'm letting them down…if only there was something that could get rid of this stupid Witch for good!_

The sound of fluttering paper caught my attention, causing me to look up. To my surprise, the seven blackened paper stars were merging together into a single paper star which grew to the size of a large bear. Then as it landed in front of me, Baba Yaga's face went from a mischievous grin to a confused look as she flew around the large paper star. It used one of its sharpened points to knock Baba Yaga out of her pestle causing her to fall towards the ground. But to my amazement, she thrust her hand downward causing the ground to shake as a large house emerged with chicken feet sticking out of its bottom. In the commotion, I was tossed around along with Lou Annabelle Delia Lowanna and Maria who lost her footing.

"This is not good," Lowanna abruptly said. "Because Maria bled so much, Baba Yaga was able to summon chicken-foot house which means Maria's closer to dying. We must stop bleeding now, Delia."

"Right," Delia nodded, letting the harp go and she knelt down and used her blindfold to wrap it around Maria's bleeding elbow.

"Stop it," Maria insisted, pushing Delia's hand away. "Baba Yaga knows what she's doing. She'll crush this thing in no time."

As the chicken-footed house took to running circles around the large paper star, it grew several sizes till it was as tall as the house with the enormous chicken feet included. Then as the paper star watched the house run, I saw that it was the Ogre I had summoned years ago with the same downward crescent-shaped eyeball that was yellow and cat-like in terms of the pupil while its mouth contained rows of fanged teeth. I was unable to move due to fear, watching as the star-shaped Ogre extended its left and right points which sliced through the house causing the chicken feet to instantly run away. But that only caused the Ogre to roar as it extended its points again cutting through the chicken legs this time which made the house fall completely crushing Baba Yaga in the process.

Then as the star-shaped Ogre advanced onto the terrified members of Seishin-Gumi, I shouted, "Please stop!"

Yet the primitive creature didn't seem to listen as Delia raised her hands causing a bright light to emit from Apollo. This blinded everyone including the creature, which stared in confusion as the light died down revealing that Delia and Lowanna had dragged Maria towards the edge of the stadium where an obvious exit was.

" _Seeing how the members of Team Seishin-Gumi are running away from the giant Ogre instead of reactivating their Oversouls, I'm tempted to declare that Team LouAnnShi has won this round…assuming they get this monster under control,_ " Radim said nervously in his microphone.

While I tried to figure out what to do, Lou held up his Lightning Shot rifle and cried, "Lightning Shot! Fatal Shock!"

The bullet not only penetrated the star-shaped Ogre from the back, but it also electrocuted it causing the creature's form to dissolve into the seven burned paper stars that were once Hoshi and his friends' Mediums.

To be continued…


	39. 39th Star: Out of Control

39th Star: Out of Control

While I went to collect the seven paper stars that had fallen, the members of Team Seishin-Gumi continued to run toward the exit thus forcing Radim to declare my team as the winner of this round in the Shaman King Tournament. Yet no one clapped or cheered as the crowds quickly exited the stadium. Then as Annabelle's spirit returned to her body, Lou went over to check on me but I walked away from him.

"Hey, where are you going?" Lou asked.

"Away from here," I muttered as I clutched the paper stars close to my chest.

However, the Patch medics prevented me from leaving the stadium as they tended to the wounds me and Lou got from not just Annabelle's dolls but also the scratches I had somehow retained from when Lowanna attacked me in the Dreamtime. They also managed to stop Maria from bleeding further as Baba Yaga and her house evaporated into a blood-colored mist, according to Annabelle who followed the members of Team Seishin-Gumi after Lou and I were taken to a separate room from them.

Later, Lou encouraged me and Annabelle to watch the next match which was between Team Ren and Team Wisdom Kings. It turned out the latter was affiliated with the Buddhist group Gandhara, whom Annabelle became acquainted with in the time between the Mendozas' deaths and our match with Team Seishin-Gumi.

"Their leader Lady Sati is really nice," Annabelle said once the match ended. "Maybe you should talk to her sometime."

As I contemplated this, an explosion occurred several miles away. This naturally caused the crowds to immediately panic and leave the stadium, while the Patch Officiants showed up to calm everyone down. Then another one occurred shortly after, forcing the Officiants to escort the crowds back to their lodgings including me Lou and Annabelle while the members of Seishin-Gumi were nowhere to be seen.

It turned out that one of the X-Laws' teams, known as X-II, had tried to kill Hao using an Oversoul shaped like an orbiting satellite but it didn't work leading to their deaths. On top of that, the X-Laws' leader Jeanne along with a member named Lyserg had died at the hands of an Egyptian Shaman named Anahol Pokki who wanted to avenge the deaths of Team Nile which happened to be led by his brother. Then Hao's followers had apparently decided to attack Gandhara, with Lady Sati among the casualties thus far.

"This is horrible," Lou muttered after Uran finished relaying this information he got from Rutherfor who had been observing these events in her Grey Saucer Oversoul form. "If only someone had taken out Hao before all this happened."

"But thanks to X-II's actions, ordinary humans are now aware of this island's existence and they're coming this way," Uran responded. "So it ultimately doesn't matter whose fault it is."

While Uran was talking, I was creating new paper star Mediums for Hoshi and his friends but I had a hard time concentrating as images of the star-shaped Ogre kept me from finishing the origami paper stars.

"Maybe you should stop and relax for a bit," Annabelle suggested. "It's not like we're going anywhere anytime soon."

"Since when did you become so calm, given that you were crying over your father's death not too long ago?" I pointed out angrily.

"Well, I was approached by Lady Sati and she helped me come to terms with his death," Annabelle said. "If she were still alive, she could have eased your fears."

"About what?" I snapped. "How do I know you're not the one who's afraid, given that I summoned an Ogre with my mind that nearly killed Seishin-Gumi and possibly you guys if Lou hadn't stopped it?"

"We're not afraid, Shizu," Lou assured, putting his arm around Annabelle's shoulders. "It's just that we think you should relax about trying to make new Mediums for Hoshi and the other Shikigami since you're clearly thinking too much about the Ogre."

"But how can I relax?" I said in exasperation. "In addition to what's happening out there, how do I know that the next time I summon Hoshi and his friends the Ogre won't get summoned instead? Maybe if I had taken up Hao's offer to train me—

"You would've been helping him murder a lot of innocent people," Lou interrupted. "Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if he killed the members of Seishin-Gumi and fed their souls to the Spirit of Fire before we were escorted out of the stadium."

###

Several hours later, Uran informed us that a fleet of ships had arrived close to the island before Hao's followers tried to attack them. However, one follower named Peyote took out his comrades before committing suicide. Then while the fleet was being dealt with by the Patch Officiants, Yoh had stopped Hao from attacking Anna and Sati had been revived by one Yoh's teammates named Faust VIII before she resurrected Jeanne. The day after was strangely quiet, so I decided to pay Lady Sati a visit while Annabelle and Lou followed me. We found her in a clearing, along with several other individuals, sitting in a tent-like structure covered by curtains that obscured her face but outlined her figure which was tall and thin with an ornamental crown upon her head.

"Ah, it is you, Shizu Rakugaki," she said a mature but soothing voice.

This surprised me. "You've heard of me, Lady Sati?"

"Annabelle has told me all about you in our private discussions," Sati replied. "And expressed interesting feelings towards you, Lou Reins."

"Really?" Lou blushed, looking at Annabelle who smiled back at him. "I-I see."

"So what brings you three here?" Sati asked. "Though our meeting will have to be brief because I'm still recovering from my death at the hands of Hao's followers, and yet the time for the Five Elemental Warriors to defeat Hao Asakura draws near."

"Elemental Warriors?" I blinked. "Who are they?"

"A group of exceptional Shamans that I have determined to be capable of wielding the five elemental spirits that once belonged to the Patch, including Hao's own Spirit of Fire," Sati answered. "They alone can defeat Hao, and no one else."

"Can you tell us their names?" Lou asked, but looked down as he felt Sati's penetrating gaze upon him. "Unless you don't want to."

There was a pause and then Sati said, "I will only tell you if you agree to withdraw your team from the Shaman King Tournament and aid me in retrieving the other elemental spirits from the depths of the Underworld."

To be continued…


	40. 40th Star: Inner Demons

40th Star: Inner Demons

"How can you ask us to drop out of the tournament now, Lady Sati?" Lou demanded, while Annabelle and I were shocked stiff. "Our team made it to the Semi-Finals."

"That is correct," Sati replied. "After you three defeated Team Seishin-Gumi, their souls were unfortunately sacrificed to the Spirit of Fire thus leaving your team as one of the Semi-Finalists along with Team Funbari Springs Ren Hoshi-Gumi and X-I."

"What about your teams?" I asked.

"They're all withdrawing on my command," Sati replied. "I've also asked some of the other teams to withdraw too, such as Team Nazca, so you're not the only ones."

"But what's the point of doing that?" Annabelle wondered out loud. "Doesn't that give Hao a greater chance to become the Shaman King?"

"It does, and that's what we're hoping for," Sati said. "You see, once the Semi-Finalists are chosen they're all going to be taken from this island to the lost continent of Mu where the Great Spirit actually resides. There, the remaining Shamans will battle each other until one remains which will most certainly be Hao. He will then be taken to a special chamber and fall into a deep sleep in order to merge with the Great Spirit, thus making him vulnerable."

"So you're going to have the Five Elemental Warriors kill Hao while he's sleeping using the elemental spirits," I realized. "But what if the remaining Semi-Finalists get killed by Hao before he gets taken to the chamber?"

"If they're smart enough, they'll forfeit upon arriving in Mu in order to follow Hao through the Ten Plants of Mu that lie before the chamber," replied Sati. "Of course, it won't be easy as each Plant is guarded by a Patch priest which makes getting the elemental spirits imperative and that's where you three will come in. That is, if you'll agree to help me."

Sensing a certain tension in Sati's voice, I looked around at the other Gandhara members who had grim faces. "We accept your request, Lady Sati."

"Are you crazy?" Lou exclaimed, looking back at me.

"Calm down, Lou," Annabelle said, placing a hand on Lou's shoulder. "I think Lady Sati knows what she's doing."

Instead of answering, Lou grabbed the silver bullet on the chain around his neck. But looking at the number of Shamans that surrounded us made him let go.

"Good answer," Sati replied, parting the curtain.

What I saw was a serene-looking face with a red oval marking on the forehead with long light brown hair parting the sides of it.

"Before I accept your help, though, I need to be sure that you're worthy for the task at hand," Sati stated as she stepped out from the tent wearing an orange robe and a thin veil along the sides of the golden crown on her head. "So I'm going to send you three to Hell to face your inner demons, and if you survive then I'll reveal the names of the Five Elemental Warriors."

I then felt a sudden pain in my chest and blacked out. When I came to, I found myself standing in a black void with seven brightly colored lights floating around my head. Soon enough, these lights transformed into seven origami stars that were blue black white gray brown orange and red with yellow eyes appearing on them.

"Hoshi, Ishi, Kori, Tetsu, Iowa, Dou, Netsu," I said, smiling as the seven Shikigami made happy chirping sounds in turn. "I thought you were lost forever."

Then from out of the darkness appeared the star-shaped Ogre, which was still as tall as Baba Yaga's chicken-footed house, growling as it bared its teeth and glared at me with its yellow eye. It then extended its points at Hoshi and the others, who flew away in fear. Seeing this made me worried, until I recalled what Sati said.

"Inner demons, huh?" I recalled, glaring up at the star-shaped Ogre. "I guess you're my inner demon, and this is Hell."

" ** _Correct,_** " replied the star-shaped Ogre in a deep echoing voice. " ** _While these Shikigami represent the goodness in Nature, Ogres like myself represent the bad side of it. Though traditionally, we're called Oni._** "

Remembering pictures I had seen showing demonic creatures parading empty streets, I said, "So if your kind represent the darker side of Nature, then why did you appear when I was a child?"

" ** _Because like your ancestor Hao Asakura, you have the ability to read people's thoughts which makes you vulnerable to their negative emotions which manifest as Oni._** "

"Then how come I—

The star-shaped Ogre attempted to attack me with one of its points, but Hoshi and his friends came together to form a star-shaped shield which blocked it. As this was happening, my mind drifted back to when I was younger and forming several paper stars which all manifested as Hoshi and the other six stars I would name later. Then I remembered my mother entering the room, looking afraid as I heard her voice in my head saying, " _Oh, no…she's a Shaman, just like I am._ "

At the time, I recalled feeling confused and afraid of what my mother meant. But then I was distracted by the appearance of the star-shaped Ogre, which was as tall as an average human back then. While my mother and father were naturally frightened by this creature, I was overcome with lightheadedness and passed out.

" ** _When that Pastor sealed away your Shamanic powers, he also took away your mind-reading abilities,_** " the star-shaped Ogre continued. " ** _But as you were worried about failing your friends during the match against Seishin-Gumi, your own negative thoughts made me appear once more but as an Oh-Oni or Great Oni._** "

Being reminded of this event made me cringe, but then I clenched my fists. "Then you'll never truly go away, no matter what I do?"

" ** _Exactly,_** " replied the star-shaped Ogre. " ** _I am a part of you, whether you like it or not._** "

To be continued…


	41. 41st Star: Recognition

41st Star: Recognition

As I came to, I saw Sati's face staring down at me.

"Did you face your inner demon?" Sati asked, still looking as serene as before.

Looking down at myself, I noticed my star T-shirt was bloodstained around the chest area. "Was I…killed?"

"Yes," Sati nodded. "You and your friends had to die in order to reach Hell. Fortunately, I was able to revive you shortly after."

Then I looked to my left and right, seeing Annabelle and Lou getting up with bloodstained clothes as well. It was then that I noticed the sky was dark with the stars shining.

"How long have we been dead?" I asked.

"The whole day," replied Sati. "I just got back from telling the Patch Officiants that your team and several others have withdrawn from the Shaman King Tournament."

Surprised by this news, I was unable to speak.

"Now back to my original question, did you face your inner demon in Hell?" Sati repeated.

"I did," I said solemnly.

Smiling, Sati turned to Lou and Annabelle who gave her affirmative answers.

"Why don't you three go change out of your clothes and relax in the hot springs for now?" Sati suggested. "My followers will prepare some fresh clothes in the meantime, and then you should get a good night's rest for tomorrow's future battles."

"What do you mean?" I questioned. "And weren't you going to tell us who the Five Elemental Warriors are?"

"All will be explained in due time," Sati said. "Though who the Five Elemental Warriors are should become obvious to you at the hot springs."

Unsure of what Sati meant, I got up slowly got up along with Annabelle and Lou.

###

At the island's hot springs, the three of us found a small spring to share that was a few feet away from the larger one where Yoh and Ren's teams were along with the small boy Manta a green-haired boy I realized was Lyserg from Team X-I and Hao who was there for some reason.

"You know, it just occurred to me that Sati was planning to have our team withdraw from the Shaman King Tournament regardless if we survived our individual trips to Hell or not," Lou said.

"That's what it seems like," I concurred. "And she's been stringing us along with this Elemental Warriors stuff but not giving us actual answers."

"She probably wants to protect their identities for the sake of insuring that Hao will be defeated," Annabelle figured. "And she's most likely trying to protect the remaining teams from getting killed in the inevitable conflict that's going to happen in Mu."

"But why should we be helping her?" Lou asked. "Don't you guys care about your own dreams? That's why we joined this thing in the first place!"

While Annabelle was silent, I said, "That may be true, but now there are greater things at stake. So our individual goals, like me wanting my father to publish best-selling poems your desire to be a true Cowboy and Annabelle's wish to bring her father back, don't matter anymore. Maybe there's a chance that whoever does become the Shaman King will grant the wishes of those who didn't win."

"Yeah, right," Lou responded sarcastically. "So, Annabelle, who do you think the Elemental Warriors are?"

"What?" Annabelle exclaimed. "Since when did you decide to say my name instead of a silly nickname like 'Dolly' or 'Annie'?"

"Since you called me 'Lou' when we met Sati," replied Lou. "Unless that was another 'Moment of weakness'?"

"No, I meant it," Annabelle said as she blushed a little. "Though I wouldn't mind it if you kept calling me 'Annie'. Has a nice ring…"

"Okay, Annie," Lou said, smiling at Annabelle causing her to look away in embarrassment.

Meanwhile, I looked back at Yoh's group and noticed their Guardian Spirits hanging nearby. Many of them were ghosts which included: a Japanese samurai, a Chinese warlord, a sickly thief, and a blonde-haired nurse. Apart from the Spirit of Fire's shadow in the trees, the other three spirits were a jaguar a Pixie and a tiny girl holding a big leaf over her head. Looking at them carefully, I thought back to what Sati said earlier.

"By the way, what did you face on your trip to Hell?" Lou asked, breaking my train of thought.

"The star-shaped Ogre that I summoned accidentally," I responded, causing Lou and Annabelle's eyes to widen.

"Did you destroy it?" Annabelle asked.

"No, I…merely accepted its presence in my mind," I said. "It's a part of who I am, even if I don't care to acknowledge it. After all, it is part of my heritage since Hao summoned similar Ogres in his past life."

"I suppose," Annabelle said. "But that doesn't mean you're letting it control you, right?"

"No, I'm actually controlling it now," I said.

"What?" Lou exclaimed. "No way!"

"I'll prove it to you," I responded, holding up my palm. "Show yourself, Kage."

From the darkness appeared the star-shaped Ogre, which was now the size of a regular paper star, as it regarded Annabelle and Lou suspiciously.

"Amazing!" Lou remarked. "Wait till you see my new Oversoul."

Grabbing the Colt Lightning rifle and silver bullet, Lou combined the two creating a white sniper rifle with a yellow lightning bolt in its center.

"I call this the Bolt Sniper, and it's even more accurate than the Lightning Shot," Lou stated.

"Where did you get it?" I asked.

"From having a shoot-out with the ghost of my great-grandfather in Hell," Lou responded. "He wasn't easy to take out, but I did and he made amends with Bill afterwards."

In response, the ghost of Bill Kidman nodded.

"Well, if you two must know, I encountered my father in Hell along with the Hungry Ghosts who devoured him," Annabelle responded. "So I was forced to team up with my father to defeat the Hungry Ghosts, thus allowing me to unlock an Oversoul greater than the Dharmakaya."

After reciting the word 'Atman,' Annabelle's entire body glowed just as brightly as her spirit form while her eyes became pupil-less and the water suddenly became hotter.

"This is my true Self, or Atman as it's called," Annabelle explained. "Thus, my soul doesn't need to transfer to something else since I have no imperfections in this form making me invulnerable so long as I pour enough Mana into it."

###

The next morning, the Patch Officiants demanded that every available Shaman with an Oversoul report to the coast immediately as the fleet of regular humans had returned to attack the island with the intention of discovering the location of Mu.

"I thought the Patch took care of them," I said as I changed into the new clothes Sati's followers had provided.

" _Guess they don't know when to give up,_ " Lou replied as he was changing in the next room over in the lodge.

" _It also means that Mu must be more important than just the true resting place of the Great Spirit,_ " Annabelle responded from a different room.

"Maybe Sati knows the answer, if she'll even give them to us," I replied.

" _Just be patient with her, Shizu,_ " Annabelle insisted. " _She's clearly wiser than any Shaman on this island._ "

Once we had finished, we stepped out of our rooms wearing the new clothes. While I was wearing a black kimono with a blue sash and five-pointed star stitched on the back, Annabelle was wearing a red jacket over a white dress shirt and black pants with matching knee-length boots while Lou sported a white gem-encrusted shirt and cowboy hat with denim jeans and white boots. After looking at each other with admiration, the three of us left the lodge and followed Uran to the coast where dozens of Shamans were standing near the water.

In the distance, there was an entire fleet of large naval ships with their cannons pointed at the coast. Because the beach was crowded, the four of us decided to stand on a cliff with a thick foliage of trees to hide behind. Looking carefully down, I saw Hao was standing closest to the water. Then in an instant, the Spirit of Fire appeared and the ships were set ablaze.

To be continued…


	42. 42nd Star: Stars of Tomorrow

**This will be the last chapter of the series, followed by an epilogue.**

42nd Star: Stars of Tomorrow

In the aftermath of the fleet's destruction, Team Funbari Springs Ren Hoshi-Gumi and X-I departed for the continent of Mu along with the Ten Officiants.

"I wonder why Rutherfor didn't say goodbye to us," I said to Uran as some Shamans departed from the coast.

"Well, she told me personally that Chief Goldva chose her to guard one of the Ten Plants of Mu," Uran admitted.

Surprised, I stammered, "So that means—

"The Five Elemental Warriors will have to get past her to get to Hao at some point in their journey," Uran finished.

"How do you know about the Five Elemental Warriors?"

"Lady Sati told me about them, once she realized I wasn't a Patch Officiant."

"Can you tell me their names?"

"I'll let Lady Sati tell you herself."

So I followed Uran down to the beach below us while Annabelle and Lou trailed behind. We found Sati in her usual tent along with her followers. She motioned us to come inside, and so we did where three other individuals were seated.

"As promised, I shall reveal to you three the Elemental Warriors' identities," Sati stated once Uran left the tent. "They are Yoh Asakura, Tao Ren, Horokeu 'Horohoro' Usui, Lyserg Diethel, and Joco McDonell. The elemental spirits they are destined to wield respectively are the Spirit of Earth, the Spirit of Thunder, the Spirit of Rain, the Spirit of Fire, and the Spirit of Wind."

Thinking back to the Guardian Spirits I saw with Yoh's group the previous night, these associations made sense except for Lyserg's.

As if he read my mind, Lou raised his hand. "Why does Lyserg get the Spirit of Fire? He didn't seem like an angry kid."

"Behind that calm exterior of his is a burning hatred towards Hao, who murdered his parents when he was a child," Sati explained. "So it seems only fitting that Lyserg should take down Hao with his own spirit. Now once Hao reaches the chamber, he will be forced to give up the Spirit of Fire which will hopefully make it into Lyserg's hands somehow. But in the meantime, we must concentrate on retrieving the other four spirits that were sealed away by the Patch long ago. They are currently possessed by the four Kings of Hell, which we must defeat in order to retrieve the spirits from them."

"Who are they?" Annabelle asked.

"Different Gods that represent death to a multitude of cultures," replied Sati. "For instance, there is: Anubis who has the Spirit of Rain, Mephistopheles who has the Spirit of Wind, Izanami who has the Spirit of Thunder, and Yama who has the Spirit of Earth. You will each be paired with one member of Gandhara, and together you will travel to one King of Hell to retrieve the elemental spirit they have even if it means fighting them for it. Now, are there any questions?"

No one answered.

"Very well," Sati nodded. "I shall give you one hour to prepare and say farewell to anyone you care about, since this may be the last chance you get."

Letting this sink in, I left the tent with everyone else and quickly found Uran.

"Hey, so I wanted to apologize," I said.

"For what?" Uran asked.

"That misunderstanding I created when we first met, when you tried to test my Oversoul capabilities," I explained.

"Oh, there's no need to apologize for that," Uran responded. "That was entirely my fault, for picking the wrong list and foolishly risking my tribe's secrecy for the sake of proving my own worth as a member of the Patch. But I suppose if I hadn't made that mistake, you wouldn't be here helping Lady Sati save the world from Hao's wrath upon the world."

"Yeah, I suppose so." I paused and then said, "Well, I don't know if I'll come back to life after this…so we may not see each other again."

"Maybe not in this lifetime, but another for sure," Uran replied. "After all, if Hao can reincarnate who's to say that we can't?"

Thinking back to Hatki, whom Hao implied was a reincarnation of Hatki's ancestor Lakni, I could see what Uran was talking about. Then I embraced him for a long time, before checking on my new Medium which was a large origami paper star with smaller paper stars folded into it. Then as I walked back to Sati's tent, I noticed Lou and Annabelle kissing each other nearby.

"Am I…interrupting something?" I said, walking up to them.

"Uh, no," Lou responded, breaking from his embrace with Annabelle. "I was just, ah, saying my final goodbyes."

"Same here," Annabelle replied, looking more embarrassed.

Smiling at them, I went into Sati's tent where she Uran and three others were seated.

"So you're helping Sati too?" I said to Uran.

"While my tribe may be willing to let someone like Hao become Shaman King for the sake of neutrality, I believe that something must be done to stop him," Uran stated. "Even if it means betraying those whom I've come to see as family, including Rutherfor to an extent."

After a pause, Sati said, "We shall now pair the four of you off with your respective partner and determine which King of Hell to target. Lou Reins, you will go with Jackson to get the Spirit of Thunder from Izanami. Annabelle Lee, you'll join Cado to retrieve the Spirit of Wind from Mephistopheles. Meanwhile, Uran and Yainage will confront Anubis for the Spirit of Rain. As for you, Shizu Rakugaki, you'll be coming with me to deal with Yama to obtain the Spirit of Earth. Is there anything that you must do before we begin this perilous journey?"

Like earlier, no one said a word.

"Then we shall begin," Sati declared, removing the crown from her head.

Followed by another blackout, I found myself on a train with Sati while the others sat further down. There were others there as well, and yet no light came from outside.

"What is this?" I asked Sati.

"This is where the deceased are taken to their proper destinations in the afterlife," Sati explained. "Normally, this part is all a blur. But because you've died more than once, it's much clearer."

"I see."

Then once we got off the train, we approached a black void similar to the one where I confronted the star-shaped Ogre Kage in. But as we walked further, a looming figure appeared over us resembling a large man with glowing eyes black hair and wearing regal-looking robes.

"That is King Yama, also known as Enma Daioh," Sati said, holding up a golden staff with rings attached to it. "Are you ready, Shizu?"

"Yes," I nodded, and held up the multi-paper star. "Oversoul: Stars of Tomorrow!"

Seven lights then appeared on the seven small stars folded into the larger star, which became Hoshi and his friends Ishi Kori Tetsu Iowa Dou and Netsu before floating in a gigantic circle. Then the larger star became Kage, who grew to his gigantic height while Hoshi and the others circled around him.

To be concluded…


	43. Epilogue: Settlement

**As fun as it was revisiting one of my favorite manga through the eyes of a character that I created, I'm afraid this is the end to my story. Now I don't intend to do a sequel based on** ** _Shaman King Flowers_** **, but I might check that manga out on my own time (assuming I can find a decent English translation of it). Thank you guys so much for supporting this fanfic and be sure to check out some of the others I have written :)**

Epilogue: Settlement

Three years following the aftermath of the Shaman King Tournament I got married to Jin Koneko, the same classmate who stole the cross Pastor Hogarth gave me only to return it the following day. While we agreed to live in the house I grew up in, my parents had decided to move to a much bigger and better house a few miles away thanks to my father's poems selling well. We even had a daughter named Koishi the same year we got married, who had her father's dark brown hair but my light gray eyes. She was also good at origami folding, even as I showed her how to do it after she turned three.

Then upon turning six, her Shamanic abilities manifested when she made a Shikigami Oversoul from an origami crane. But because I told Jin everything about Shamans and my experiences with the Shaman King Tournament, he wasn't nearly as surprised as my father when my abilities manifested. In fact, my past two deaths and resurrections had increased my Mana so much that I was able to use my Shikigami to do chores around the house without fainting at all. I had even assigned Kage to be the official guardian of our home and had him placed on the front door.

"Mommy, Mommy! I made a new friend!" Koishi squealed excitedly as the origami crane few around her head. "I'm going to call her Mizu, cuz cranes live near water, right?"

"Yes, they do," I nodded.

Then the phone rang, and so I went to get it with Hoshi handing it over to me.

" _Is this Shizu Rakugaki — or Koneko?_ " Asked a familiar voice on the other end.

"It's still Rakugaki, since I decided to keep my surname," I said in response, twirling my blue hair which I had cut down to my shoulders. "How are you doing, Tamao?"

" _Fine,_ " Tamao said. " _Just thought I would call since we haven't spoken in a while._ "

"Are Yoh and Anna doing all right?" I asked.

" _Still traveling around the world, so I'm keeping things running at Funbari Springs while taking care of their kid Hana._ "

"How old is he now?"

" _Nine_ _years old,_ " replied Tamao.

"So he's three years older than Koishi," I realized.

" _Is she doing all right?_ "

"Yes, in fact today she created her first Oversoul with a paper crane."

There was a pause on the other end. " _Then I assume you'll start training her?_ "

"Of course, but only to help keep her Shamanic abilities in check regardless if she decides to be a full-time Shaman or not."

" _That's good — Hey, Hana, get back here!_ "

There was a loud noise on the other end of the phone, followed by a _click_. Confused, I hung up and was about to head for my writing room (which happened to be the same one my father used) when the phone rang again.

"Hello?" I said upon answering it.

" _Shizu, it's me,_ " said a different voice that I also recognized.

"Oh, hi, Mom," I responded. "What's up?"

" _Your grandfather, Kakuri, just passed away,_ " my mother said solemnly on the other end.

I gasped in surprise. "How did he die?"

" _I'm not sure, since I just heard about it,_ " replied my mother. " _But earlier, I got a letter from him that he instructed should only be opened if anything happened to him._ "

"Well, now's as good a time as any to open it," I muttered.

There was the sound of rustling paper on the other end, and then my mother recited the letter from the grandfather I never met:

 _Dear Reiko Rakugaki,_

 _I apologize for the lack of communication in the years following your decision to leave the Branch Family of the Asakuras. But now there is a more pressing matter at hand that I must tell you about. If I should die, the next Head of the Branch Family will be my brother Yohkyo. While I have chosen to forgive the Main Family regarding the conflict that occurred when Hao Asakura went insane, Yohkyo has a strong hatred for them that's been building for many years now._

 _But for the time-being, he has isolated himself in the mountains with his two children: a daughter named Luca and a son named Yohane. Yet it would not surprise me if he's been filling them with the same hatred he has towards the Main Family, which might make these children dangerous in the years to come. If you can still communicate with the Gods, Reiko, then hear what they have to say and take the necessary steps to make sure Yohkyo and his children don't threaten the Main Family in any way._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Kakuri Asakura_

After a pause, I said, "Have the Gods told you anything?"

" _Not since they told me you would die in the Shaman King Tournament,_ " my mother answered.

"And that's what led you to ask Pastor Hogarth to reinforce the seal on the cross, even though it wasn't entirely true," I added.

" _But last night, the Gods warned me that an event called the 'Flower of Maize' will happen seven years from now,_ " my mother stated." _And a member of the Branch Family will become an ally to the heir of the Main Family._ "

"They must be referring to Hana as the Main Family's heir," I figured. "But I wonder who this Branch Family member could be."

" _I hope it's Koishi,_ " my mother responded. " _Because I can't imagine Yohkyo or his children Luca and Yohane aiding the Main Family in any way._ "

From there, I told my mother about my own writing which I was publishing in order to help pay for the rent despite my parents subsidizing it for me. Then after I hung up, Jin came back from playing with Koishi to give me a letter from England. Figuring it was from Annabelle and Lou, who had gotten married the same year I did, I opened the letter. While Lou's family had managed to obtain their land from the oil tycoon, there was much work to be done to make it viable for cattle-grazing which Uran was helping them with as he was no longer a member of the Patch.

In the meantime, Annabelle was going to college in order to become a scholar like her father thus leaving Lou to take care of their children Megan and Martin who were both the same age as Koishi. With the letter there was a picture showing Annabelle, who had also cut her hair shorter, her resurrected father and Lou who was now sporting a chin-beard along with Megan and Martin. Though they had the same blond hair and fair skin, the difference between them was that Megan's eyes were blue like her father while Martin's eyes were dark grey like his mother's. On the back of the picture, they mentioned they were planning to come to Tokyo this summer which made me smile.

The End


End file.
